NEW YORK — Carlos Rodón effectively managed his emotions and effectively handled the batters of the Cleveland Guardians during the American League Championship Series opener.
This marked his first postseason victory as he led the New York Yankees to a 5-2 win on Monday night, showcasing a notable shift from his previous performance in the Division Series.
“The aim tonight was to maintain control over what I could manage, both physically and emotionally,” said Rodón. “I felt that I executed that plan well.”

In his earlier performance against the Kansas City Royals, Rodón struggled, which led to his team’s loss in Game 2 of the Division Series.
He admitted to overthrowing that game, resulting in a fastball that averaged 1.6 mph faster than his typical speed.
Though he started strong by striking out his first three batters and allowing just two hits in the first three innings, he ultimately surrendered a lead-off home run to Salvador Perez.
This contributed to a four-run inning, leading to a disappointing 4-2 defeat and dropping his postseason record to 0-2 with an alarming 11.37 ERA across three appearances, two of which were starts.

During the downtime, Rodón observed Gerrit Cole during the Yankees’ clinching win in Game 4, trying to adopt the ace’s composed approach.
“He handles running situations and gets out of difficult spots with a calm demeanor,” noted Rodón.
“When he walks off the mound, there’s no outburst. He remains focused, handling himself like a machine on the field.”
Cole, appreciating Rodón’s focus, acknowledged his teammate’s notable performance as a key component of the rotation.
“As athletes, we continuously adapt to our experiences,” Cole commented.
“When faced with challenges, it’s essential to adjust, and I think he executed brilliantly.”

Rodón’s performance was impressive, with nine strikeouts and no walks recorded.
He achieved an outstanding 25 swings-and-misses from a total of 53, the highest for the Yankees in a postseason game since the analytics era began in 2008.
His pitches were so effective that catcher Austin Wells had to make three throws to first base on strikeouts to get the putouts.
“We discussed how he would learn from his initial outing, and it’s clear he implemented those lessons,” remarked Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
“He was in total command of himself and managed his emotions exceptionally well.”

Throughout the match, Rodón limited the Guardians to just two singles until a solo homer from Brayan Rocchio in the sixth inning.
“He was mindful of his last outing and recognized how his emotions had gotten ahead of him previously,” noted pitching coach Matt Blake.
“You could see his determination to remain steady and focus on each out.”
Boone highlighted Rodón’s benevolent shift in mindset, noting it enriched his intensity with poise.
“It’s not a matter of it being difficult,” Rodón stated.
“It’s about maintaining awareness and concentrating on the next pitch, which helps keep that calm, collected demeanor.”