The onset of the New York Yankees final series of the 2023 season was an utter disaster. It perfectly reflected the kind of season the reigning AL-East champions have had this year. Facing the Kansas City Royals, the Yanks surrendered in a 12-5 loss. The main culprit of the humiliating defeat was none other than starting pitcher Carlos Rodon.
Carlos Rodon ended his first year of the mega six-year $162 million contract with the Yankees on a horrific note. In his last start of the season, the pitcher faced eight hitters throughout the course of 35 pitches without recording a single out. Not only that, his on-field antics toward the Yanks’ pitching coach further gave an invitation to an unwanted controversy.
Carlos Rodon Takes Responsibility For Disrespecting Matt Blake Following Tragic Start Vs. Royals!
New York Yankees prized off-season acquisition’s inaugural year in the Bronx just couldn’t have gotten more worse. In his final start of the season, Carlos Rodon allowed eight runs in the first inning without recording a single out. It went down as one of the worst outings in MLB’s recent history. To make matters worse, Rodon was seen disrespecting Yanks pitching coach Matt Blake, who, in fact, ran down the mound to help calm the pitcher down. As Blake rushed towards Rodon, the latter turned his back on him while the coach kept on speaking regardless. It seemed an arrogant gesture to the fans and even to the skipper, Aaron Boone. He later called the pitcher in his office to demand an explanation.
Carlos Rodón faced eight Royals tonight and did not get any of them out pic.twitter.com/dbzaemcBTT
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 30, 2023
Having said that, before Carlos Rodon could clarify his gesture to Aaron Boone, he acknowledged his actions in the media. He explained he was frustrated and thus wanted to avoid talking to anyone. But Matt Blake was there to help him, and he should have handled the situation better. It wasn’t something Rodon was proud of. “Doing that with Matt coming out trying to help me, I turned my back. I was just not in the right mind, that’s for sure. That’s on me,” added Carlos Rodon. Coming back to his performance, the pitcher’s fastballs were all over the place as he lacked in execution. He later termed the start “terrible” and was at a complete loss of words. With that, Rodon finishes his inaugural season in the Bronx with a 6.85 ERA across 14 starts.
Carlos Rodon Has A Message For The Disgruntled Yankees Fans
In the aftermath of a disastrous debut, Carlos Rodon launched a damage control movement. In a recent Q&A chat with NJ Media, the pitcher made an attempt to calm the agitated Yankees fans. When asked to give a message, Rodon said, “I’m disappointed in my year, but I have five more to prove myself.”
The stating pitcher said that he cannot sugarcoat anything and make false promises. The Yankees fans understand the game better and don’t wanna hear him crib or make excuses. All he can ask is for faith and patience, as he has plenty of years left on the contract to prove himself and justify the high payroll.