The start of the 2024 season has been very surprising to New York Yankees’ expectations. With Gerrit Cole on the 60-day IL, the team was expecting to endure early hiccups along the way. However, the starting rotation exceeded the expectations to not only win games but also set up a record.
With 10-3, the New York Yankees witnessed their best start to the season in past four decades. Moreover, in a mega sign of improvement, Carlos Rodon turned up to pitch his best start in pinstripes on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins. His extended pitching arsenal further shed light on how Rodon could make a positive difference in Gerrit Cole’s absence.
Carlos Rodon Throws Changeups, Cutters In Best Yankees Career Start!
Left-handed starting pitcher Carlos Rodon is a four-seam fastball-reliant pitcher. His fastballs are lethal at a high velocity. However, ever since injuries riddled Rodon’s 2023 season with the New York Yankees, his fastball velocity witnessed a massive dip, thus causing worry inside the camp. While Rodon increased his average four-seamer velocity in the spring, he turned up with an extended pitching arsenal into the regular season. On Tuesday, Carlos Rodon threw his best start of the Yankee career against the Miami Marlins. In six innings, Rodon gave up zero earned runs in four hits whilst striking out six hitters. Notably, Rodon made a significant adjustment, which elevated his effectiveness in the mound.
On Tuesday, Carlos Rodon threw 10 total changeups and more cutters (16) than sliders (15). In his previous two starts of the season, the pitcher only threw six total changeups and was more often mixing in the cutter with his fastball and slider. However, the adjustment helped Rodon earn a standing ovation from the crowd. While Rodon was spot-on with his command throughout the day, defensive errors messed up his final line. And with bases loaded, manager Aaron Boone relieved him with Ian Hamilton. Regardless, Rodon has begun developing signs of a comeback this year. While the sample size of the effectiveness of his adjustment seems small, the southpaw’s confidence speaks much louder. He admitted getting his mojo back after the record start and promised to only build up better from here.
Yanks Fails To Sweep Marlins In Rare Finale Loss
Carlos Rodon’s best Yankees career start helped the team go 2-0 into the three-game series. However, the team botched up series sweep chance on Wednesday after Marcus Stroman had a rare dull outing. He allowed runs for the first time this year while captain Aaron Judge missed a massive scoring opportunity while having all the bases loaded.
Regardless, despite the unnatural loss, the New York Yankees finished the first home leg with a couple of series wins. Not only that, with 10-3, the team is off to their best start of the season in the past four decades of history. That being said, the Bronx Bombers will fly out to Cleveland next for a three-game series against Guardians.
Follow Sports News International for more news and updates about The New York Yankees and your favorite MLB team.
