New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón has been lighting up the Pinstripes' defense. In the absence of Gerrit Cole, who will miss all of 2025 to recover from Tommy John surgery, and Luis Gil, who is not expected back from a spring training injury until next month, Rodón has truly stepped up to the plate — or rather, the mound.
Rodón, despite his success, has been nothing but humble. He credited his Yankees teammates, particularly the batting lineup, with the team's victories following yet another win against the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday night.
"These guys make it easy," Rodón said. "Offensively we're so good I just go out there and know I have to get outs. Eventually we're going to score more than a few runs. Defensively all year we've been so great, it makes it easy to pitch"
Carlos Rodón on his string of success:
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 4, 2025
"These guys make it easy. Offensively we're so good I just go out there and know I have to get outs. Defensively all year we've been so great, it makes it easy to pitch" pic.twitter.com/5etD6peaWC
It's true that New York offered an incredible offensive output on Tuesday. Newly-returned Jazz Chisholm hit a go-ahead home run in the 7th inning, immediately followed by another homer from shortstop Anthony Volpe. The Yankees finished the game out with a score of 3-2.
Rodón struck out eight batters over seven innings against Cleveland before he was replaced by closer Devin Wheeler. Despite a rocky entry to New York during the 2023 season, where he put up a disappointing 6.85 ERA across 64.1 innings and 14 games, Rodón is on a hot streak in 2025. His ERA in 13 games is a much better 2.49 in 79.2 innings.
The Yankees are sitting at the top of the American League East and are only three games behind the Detroit Tigers for command of the entire AL.
When discussing the Yankees' success with reporters on Tuesday night, Rodón credited the team with playing what he described as 'pretty good baseball.'
"There's ups and downs but right now we're playing some pretty good baseball and just gotta keep going," he said.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!