NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Rodón controlled his emotions — and the Cleveland Guardians’ bats.
In a reversal from his amped-up outing in the Division Series last week, Rodón dominated for six innings while helping the New York Yankees to a 5-2 victory in Monday night’s AL Championship Series opener for his first career postseason win.
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Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio, center, hits a home run off New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón (55) during the sixth inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón throws against the Cleveland Guardians during the second inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez )
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón throws during the first inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón throws during the first inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón reacts while throwing against the Cleveland Guardians during the sixth inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)
“The goal was to just stay in control, stay in control of what I can do, obviously physically and emotionally,” Rodón said. “I thought I executed that well tonight.”
Rodón lost Game 2 of the Division Series to Kansas City when he admittedly overthrew. His fastball was 1.6 mph above his season average and after striking out his first three batters and allowing just two hits through three innings, he gave up a leadoff home run to Salvador Perez that sparked a four-run fourth in a 4-2 defeat.
That dropped Rodón to 0-2 with an 11.37 ERA in three postseason appearances, including a pair of starts. He studied Gerrit Cole in the Yankees' clinching 3-1 win in Game 4 and tried to emulate the ace's demeanor.
“There's runners on and he gets out of a jam,” Rodón said. “It’s pretty even keel walking off the mound. There’s no screaming. There’s no fist pumping or anything. He’s just, like I said, like a robot. He walks out and walks across the line and into the dugout.”
Cole took Rodón's attention as a compliment after his teammate pitched like a rotation complement.
“I think it’s just one of those things, as players we’re constantly adjusting to the experiences that we have," Cole said. "Sometimes you can’t predict everything and when something doesn’t go your way, you’re challenged to adjust. I think he did a great job.”
Rodón struck out nine and walked none, getting 25 misses among 53 swings, the most for the Yankees in a postseason game since pitch-tracking started in 2008. His pitches broke so much that catcher Austin Wells had to throw to first three times on strikeouts to get the putouts.
“We talked about how would he take the experience of the first time out, and I felt like he totally applied all of that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought he was just in complete command of himself and of his emotions.”
Rodón limited the Guardians to a pair of singles before Brayan Rocchio’s sixth-inning homer.
“He was very aware what the last outing ended up being and just kind of how the emotions just got a little bit away from him early," pitching coach Matt Blake said. "Each inning you could tell he was trying to stay steady and be neutral about it and just keep collecting outs.”
Boone described Rodón's change in attitude as adding poise to intensity.
“It’s not that it’s hard,” Rodón said. “It’s just being mindful of it and being focused on the next pitch, and I think that kind of leads to that robot — that poker face.”
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Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio, center, hits a home run off New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón (55) during the sixth inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón throws against the Cleveland Guardians during the second inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez )
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón throws during the first inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón throws during the first inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón reacts while throwing against the Cleveland Guardians during the sixth inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democrat George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff who had the support of national Democrats, has won a tough race to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia in California’s 27 Congressional District.
The Associated Press called the race for Whitesides on Tuesday evening. The previous day Garcia conceded, saying he had congratulated Whitesides and would ensure a smooth handoff.
Whitesides said Monday in a statement that he had spoken with Garcia and thanked him for his service to the district and the nation. He said he would fight in Congress for good jobs and lower household costs.
Whitesides, who is also a former CEO of Virgin Galactic, said during the campaign that he would use his business experience to solve problems. He spotlighted Garcia’s opposition to abortion rights, calling him an extremist.
The last Republican congressman anchored in heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, Garcia, a former Navy pilot who flew over 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, had displayed a surprising ability to beat the odds in a district with an 11-point Democratic registration edge.
The once-conservative 27th District runs through suburbs and high desert north of Los Angeles. Garcia, a supporter of former President Donald Trump with a conservative voting record, first won election campaigning against California’s liberal-leaning government: “I don’t want my country to turn into what my state has become,” he said at the time.
FILE - Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides watches as the company's carrier aircraft flies over Spaceport America near Upham, N.M., Aug. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)