CHICAGO (AP) — It was just like old times for Carlos Rodón. Only in a different uniform.
Rodón pitched six effective innings on Friday night, helping the New York Yankees to a 10-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. The left-hander allowed one run and seven hits in his fourth consecutive win.
It was Rodón's first start at Rate Field since he departed Chicago in free agency after the 2021 season. He made his first career start against his first major league team on May 19, 2024, tossing six innings of two-run ball in a 7-2 victory at Yankee Stadium.
“It was the beginning. I was 22 years old when I made my debut for the White Sox," Rodón said. "Pitched in some big games, pitched in some playoff games. I think the best thing about it was the staff over there and my teammates, you know, the team we had, we were all really close and we had a really good time together.”
The White Sox welcomed Rodón back by airing a tribute video on the center-field scoreboard before the start of the second. Standing in the visiting dugout, the left-hander tipped his cap in appreciation.
“I was grateful for it. I was just trying to stay focused," Rodón said. "I didn’t want to walk on the field or anything. ... I appreciate the video, and I hope I didn’t insult anybody by staying in the dugout. But I was just trying to do my job.”
Rodón was selected by Chicago with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft. He spent his first seven seasons with the White Sox, going 42-38 with a 3.79 ERA in 116 starts and five relief appearances. He was hampered by arm and shoulder injuries, including Tommy John surgery on May 15, 2019.
He was non-tendered by the White Sox in December 2020, but he re-signed with the team on a $3 million, one-year contract. He responded with a breakout performance, going 13-5 with a career-low 2.37 ERA in 24 starts — including a no-hitter against Cleveland on April 14, 2021.
He spent one season in San Francisco before signing a $162 million, six-year contract with New York in December 2022.
Asked how he was different from the last time he was on the mound on Chicago's South Side, Rodón said he was "more of a pitcher than a thrower.”
“Kind of rely on some weaker contact, let the defense work,” he continued.
After a rough first season in New York — including IL stints for forearm and hamstring strains — Rodón helped the Yankees win the AL East and make it to the World Series last year. He went 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA in a career-high 32 starts.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Rodón has been a “critical” part of the team's rotation the past two years, and he praised the lefty's work in improving his arsenal.
“I think he was, first part of his career, very much known for (his) big four-seam fastball up in the zone and power slider,” Boone said. “And while four-seam and slider is (still) a big part of his repertoire, so is everything else. Now with the ability to throw the sinker to get the ball on the ground, the changeup that's evolved and the curveball that he'll mix in, too. He's just a more complete pitcher."
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Jay Cohen, The Associated Press
