Brutal Heat Wave Melts Yankees Star

The New York Yankees will try to avoid being swept by the Reds when New York and Cincinnati conclude their three-game series Wednesday night. The temperature at game time is expected to be 87 degrees, which will feel like a cold front following back-to-back days of record-setting heat.

The mercury spiked past 100 degrees across many parts of the country the last two days amid an oppressive heat wave. Among those melting down this week was Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon.

The temperature for the first pitch Tuesday at Great American Ballpark was 91 degrees. Rodon battled the heat for six shutout innings, striking out five. But his day was done after just 88 pitches. For manager Aaron Boone, it was an easy decision to pull Rodon from the game.

"Once he came out, I knew he was kinda done on a 100-degree night like that," Boone explained, according to SNY. "[Spencer] Steer had a pretty good at-bat on him his last time. I felt like he was done there."

Rodon admitted after the game that the heat got the best of him. "Usually I’m going back out, kind of thing, but I was huffing and puffing a little bit," Rodon said, per SNY.

"Most situations I want the ball, but I could tell, I was gassed," Rodon told the media after the game. "They had some good at-bats, and some long at-bats. Just one of those days where the energy was coming out of me quick.”

Unfortunately for Rodon, Jonathan Loaisiga came out of the bullpen and gave up three runs in just one-third of an inning of work. The Yankees went on to lose, 5-4, in 11 innings. But Rodon, who lowered his ERA to 2.92, didn't point fingers after the game.

"I don’t like making excuses for stuff like that. It was one of those situations where you leave it to my guys and unfortunately, we didn’t get it done today," Rodon said, according to SNY. "I trust everybody in the bullpen to go out there and execute. It was just one of those days where they swung the bat well later on, we made a run at it late and it was an exciting baseball game."

Following Wednesday's game in Cincinnati, the Yankees are off Thursday before returning to the Bronx Friday for a three-game series with the Athletics.

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