The Yankees aren’t playing for a ton these days. However, with a four-game set in Boston against the Red Sox, they can get themselves out of the AL East basement. Carlos Rodon and Co. swept a doubleheader on Tuesday.
That pulled them back over .500 (73-72) and into a tie with Boston for fourth place. It’s not much (or what we expected at the start of the year), but it’s something, right?
After putting together a 3-2 win in Game 1, Rodon took the mound for the nightcap. He still wasn’t at his best, but his production was much better than it had been in recent turns through the rotation. Rodon allowed eight base runners (four hits, four walks) in five innings pitched. However, he limited the damage to one earned run while striking out nine.
Eight of those strikeouts came in the first three innings, too. The left-hander earned his third win and lowered his season-long ERA to 6.14. That makes his chances of securing sad franchise history a little less likely as we near Game 162.
Those nine whiffs were a season-high mark. This was the first time he tossed five-plus innings and allowed one run or fewer since August 22nd. It’s also just the third time he’s hit those specific numbers in 2023 (through 11 starts).
So what’s the key to getting a version of Carlos Rodon that’s closer to this than what we’ve generally seen this year? It’s obvious after Tuesday’s performance. He needs to take the hill without the Starr Insurance jersey patch advertisement on his arm.
Carlos Rodon is wearing a throwback Yankees jersey tonight. Throwback to pre-All Star break 2023, that is. No Starr Insurance patch.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) September 13, 2023
Rodon doesn't have the Starr Insurance patch on his jersey tonight
(h/t @BryanHoch) pic.twitter.com/vI5PgUA8yD
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 13, 2023
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How the heck this happened with Rodon’s jersey is anyone’s guess. This also isn’t the first time there’s been chatter about the southpaw and the jersey patch:
Carlos Rodon is hiding the Starr Insurance patch on the jersey lmao pic.twitter.com/xCIt8hFc3G
— Carlos Rodon fan (@YankeesStats_) July 26, 2023
Will he be able to weasel his way out of wearing the patch in his next start? The smart money says no, but maybe it’ll happen. After all, you can’t argue with the results. And it’s not like baseball players aren’t superstitious or anything.
The Yankees need to make this happen. Better yet, let’s just get rid of the ad patch for everyone. Permanently.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8. If you’d like to help those impacted by the Maui Wildfires, make a donation here.
