Yankees' offseason Red Sox trade (of course) embarrasses NYY on Sunday Night Baseball

Carlos Rodón was through four innings at just 50 pitches. It looked like he was cruising toward a deep, dominant start against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball. And after a night where the New York Yankees had to burn their bullpen, the timing couldn't have been better.

Well, until it wasn't. Instead of Rodón's meltdown coming in the first inning, it came in the fifth and sixth. He exited the game with no outs in the sixth inning having surrendered five earned runs on three hits and three walks after allowing just two baserunners through his first four innings.

And it was none other than former Yankee Carlos Narvaez who sent Rodón packing. Remember Narvaez? The guy the Yankees traded to the Red Sox this offseason despite the fact they needed help at catcher? We questioned it at the time. We questioned it after time passed in the regular season. And we're questioning it again now.

Narvaez turned on a 95 MPH fastball up in the zone on a 1-2 count and deposited it into the left field seats for a three-run homer to give Boston the lead. In all honesty, it was a good pitch by Rodón, but the warning signs were there for him not to throw a strike there.

The inning prior, he walked the No. 8 hitter and gave up a two-run homer to the No. 9 hitter. Aaron Boone should have taken him out after he let the first two batters reach base in the sixth.

Another Yankees meltdown vs Red Sox embarrasses them on Sunday Night Baseball

And to make matters worse, the Yankees used both Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill in the sixth inning, with Hill surrendering his first hit with the bases loaded since joining New York (opposing lineups are now 1-for-15). The Red Sox took a 7-3 lead.

It's more of the same for the Yankees, though. They cannot take care of business against their most hated, fierce opponents. They fail spectacularly far too often when in the national spotlight. They're about to turn Friday night's win into a series loss, and it's perhaps the most expected outcome for Yankees fans.

It's just a shame, because Aaron Judge belted a two-run homer in the first inning to respond emphatically to Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins' pregame trash talk. They gave Rodón, who's largely been great against the Sox, an early lead. And they've somehow let one of the most underwhelming offenses in the league score 23 runs in these three games.

Call it revisionist history, but the Yankees chose JC Escarra to be their backup catcher for 2025. While he hasn't been bad, Narvaez is having an All-Star-caliber campaign and was essentially given away to a rival for reasons unknown.