Carlos Rodon Tries To Get New York Yankees To Game 3

Carlos Rodon earns $35 million a year and has pitched well all season. He pitched tonight like he did this entire season. He worked hard, threw well, issued three walks, and allowed one home run. He left with the score tied 3-3. The Yankees scored one run in the eighth inning and won this game 4-3. That forced a decisive Game 3, with some very unlikely pitchers. Do you think Rodon will have other big playoff starts for the Yankees?

Lineups: Supporting Carlos Rodon In the Elimination Game

The Boston Red Sox had Rob Refsnyder leading off, and he was the designated hitter. In the seventh inning, Masataka Yoshida pinch-hit for Refsnyder. Yoshida stayed in the game as the designated hitter. Trevor Story was the shortstop and batted second. Alex Bregman was the third baseman and batted third. Romy Gonzalez was the first baseman and batted fourth. Nathaniel Lowe pinch-hit for him and stayed in to play first base.

Carlos Narváez was the catcher and batted fifth. Nate Eaton was the right fielder and batted sixth. Wilyer Abreu pinch-hit for him in the ninth inning. Jarren Duran was the left fielder and batted seventh. Ceddanne Rafaela was the center fielder and batted eighth. Nick Sogard was the second baseman and batted ninth.

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham played center field and led off. Aaron Judge was the right fielder and batted second. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted third. Giancarlo Stanton was the designated hitter and batted fifth. Ben Rice was the first baseman and batted fourth. Paul Goldschmidt came in to play first base in the ninth inning. Giancarlo Stanton was the designated hitter and batted fifth.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman and batted sixth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted seventh. Austin Wells was the catcher and batted in the eighth spot. Ryan McMahon was the third baseman and batted ninth. 

News and Notes

There was a lot of buzz today about last night’s win by the Boston Red Sox. One of the major points was that Yankee Manager, Aaron Boone, removed Yankee Starting Pitcher Max Fried too early. Fried was removed after just 102 pitches with the bottom of the Red Sox batting order due up. Fried was removed in favor of Reliever Luke Weaver, who promptly allowed two runs and gave up the Yankees’ 1-0 lead. Removing Fried would not have prevented the Yankees from striking out thirteen times.

The Yankees saw an old friend last night, Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman. The Yankees loaded the bases with nobody out. With Volpe on first, Chapman threw over to first base three times. A pitcher may only throw over to first base twice per at-bat. So, Volpe was awarded second base. The Yankees ended up not scoring, but Chapman was shaky.

Game Reaction

The Rice two-run home run in the second inning was important. It is said he announced himself to his home run team with that home run. He grew up in Boston and did not play last night. Then he committed a fielding error on a poor throw to first, covering a bunt by Sogard. It is precisely these issues that give Yankee fans agita about the Rodon starts. Red Sox Manager, Alex Cora, pulled Starting Pitcher Brayan Bello after just 2.1 innings pitched. He managed this game like it was the seventh game of the World Series.

Scoring Summary

In the second inning, Rice hit a two-run home run, and Bellinger scored. It was 2-0 Yankees. In the third inning, Story hit a two-run single, and Duran and Rafalela both scored. The game was tied at two. In the fifth inning, Judge singled and Grisham scored. It was 3-2 Yankees. In the sixth inning, Story hit a solo home run. That tied the game at 3. In the eighth inning, Wells singled and Chisholm Jr. scored. It was 4-3 Yankees.

Conclusion

Rodon pitched pretty well tonight. His opposition, Bello, was removed after just 2.1 innings. Rodon did not factor in the decision in this game. Frankly, the Yankees hoped Rodon would pitch better. If the Dodgers eliminate the Reds tonight or tomorrow, the game will be at 8:08 p.m., if not 6:08 p.m.