Yankees fans might've overlooked key Carlos Rodón achievement in win vs Guardians

Carlos Rodón! Ride that momentum, buddy! How about that. With the New York Yankees staring down the barrel of a sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians, the left-hander came through and dominated Wednesday afternoon to preserve a 5-1 victory.

This followed up a gem against the Rays last week, in which Rodón's six shutout innings saved a 1-0 series opening victory. This time around, he had a lot more run support, but there was something else important to note outside of his line: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K.

Rodón was efficient. He threw 90 pitches and lowered his ERA to 3.50. But, more notably, he stood firm. He bent, but he didn't break. So much of the concern with the veteran during his time in pinstripes has had to do with meltdowns; one thing goes wrong, and Rodón has typically unraveled to make the situation 10 times worse.

The Yankees put him in that position in the first inning on Wednesday. New York held a 2-0 lead after getting after Luis Ortiz early in the top half of the inning, but after a Gabriel Arias double in the bottom half, Rodón's defense let him down.

Jose Ramirez ripped a single to center field, but Cody Bellinger completely whiffed on the attempt to secure the ball and relay home. Disaster. The ball bounced and bounced and bounced and Ramirez ended up on third. The run scored and there was just one out.

Fans would agree that in most instances, that second run would've scored with ease. Single? Wild pitch? Sac fly? RBI groundout? The options were aplenty. But Rodón got Carlos Santana to pop out and Will Wilson to ground up.

The Yankees would tack on additional four runs, only use two relievers, and take home the 5-1 win. If Rodón can continue this trend of staying strong, the rotation will be so much better off.

Yankees avoid sweep vs Guardians as Carlos Rodón dominates

We've already seen three Rodón meltdowns this year, whether it was struggles in the first inning or an inability to focus after defensive miscues or with traffic on the bases. Against the Rays, he escaped trouble early and then prevented a runner on third from scoring late. On Wednesday, even if it seems insignificant, he put the ghastly Bellinger error behind him and cruised for an additional six innings.

It certainly helped that the Yankees logged 11 hits and eight walks, so it always felt as if they were applying pressure, but fans will take any silver lining they can with Rodón, who remains an important piece to the puzzle with Gerrit Cole out for the season and Luis Gil on the shelf until July.

Not only that, but the guy needs a break. His 2023 season was terrible and marred by injuries. His 2024 was an absolute rollercoaster and featured a poor World Series outing. For his sake, everyone's hoping the performances can at least normalize and he can continue to build off positive moments.