Carlos Rodón stars for the New York Yankees in return to Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) — It was just like old times for Carlos Rodón. Only in a different uniform.

Rodón pitched six effective innings on Friday night, helping the New York Yankees to a 10-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. The left-hander allowed one run and seven hits in his fourth consecutive win.

It was Rodón's first start at Rate Field since he departed Chicago in free agency after the 2021 season. He made his first career start against his first major league team on May 19, 2024, tossing six innings of two-run ball in a 7-2 victory at Yankee Stadium.

“It was the beginning. I was 22 years old when I made my debut for the White Sox," Rodón said. "Pitched in some big games, pitched in some playoff games. I think the best thing about it was the staff over there and my teammates, you know, the team we had, we were all really close and we had a really good time together.”

The White Sox welcomed Rodón back by airing a tribute video on the center-field scoreboard before the start of the second. Standing in the visiting dugout, the left-hander tipped his cap in appreciation.

“I was grateful for it. I was just trying to stay focused," Rodón said. "I didn’t want to walk on the field or anything. ... I appreciate the video, and I hope I didn’t insult anybody by staying in the dugout. But I was just trying to do my job.”

Rodón was selected by Chicago with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft. He spent his first seven seasons with the White Sox, going 42-38 with a 3.79 ERA in 116 starts and five relief appearances. He was hampered by arm and shoulder injuries, including Tommy John surgery on May 15, 2019.

He was non-tendered by the White Sox in December 2020, but he re-signed with the team on a $3 million, one-year contract. He responded with a breakout performance, going 13-5 with a career-low 2.37 ERA in 24 starts — including a no-hitter against Cleveland on April 14, 2021.

He spent one season in San Francisco before signing a $162 million, six-year contract with New York in December 2022.

Asked how he was different from the last time he was on the mound on Chicago's South Side, Rodón said he was "more of a pitcher than a thrower.”

“Kind of rely on some weaker contact, let the defense work,” he continued.

After a rough first season in New York — including IL stints for forearm and hamstring strains — Rodón helped the Yankees win the AL East and make it to the World Series last year. He went 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA in a career-high 32 starts.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Rodón has been a “critical” part of the team's rotation the past two years, and he praised the lefty's work in improving his arsenal.

“I think he was, first part of his career, very much known for (his) big four-seam fastball up in the zone and power slider,” Boone said. “And while four-seam and slider is (still) a big part of his repertoire, so is everything else. Now with the ability to throw the sinker to get the ball on the ground, the changeup that's evolved and the curveball that he'll mix in, too. He's just a more complete pitcher."

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New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón, center, walks to the dugout after warming up before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón waves to fans during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón tips his cap to fans during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours without explanation early Thursday as tensions remained high with the United States over Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.

The closure ran for over four hours, according to pilot guidance issued by Iran, which lies on a key East-West flight route. International carriers diverted north and south around Iran, but after one extension, the closure appeared to have expired and several domestic flights were in the air just after 7 a.m.

Iran previously shut its airspace during the 12-day war against Israel in June and when it exchanged fire with Israel during the Israel-Hamas war. However, there were no signs of current hostilities though the closure immediately rippled through global aviation because Iran is located on a key East-West route for airlines.

“Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” said the website SafeAirspace, which provides information on conflict areas and air travel. “The situation may signal further security or military activity, including the risk of missile launches or heightened air defense, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic.”

Iran in the past has misidentified a commercial aircraft as a hostile target. In 2020, Iranian air defense shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 with two surface-to-air missiles, killing all 176 people on board. Iran for days adamantly dismissed allegations of downing the plane as Western propaganda before finally acknowledging it.

The airspace closure came as some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait also ordered its personnel to “temporary halt” going to the multiple military bases in the small Gulf Arab country.

U.S. President Donald Trump made a series of vague statements Wednesday that left unclear what American action, if any, would take place against Iran.

In comments to reporters, Trump said he had been told that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, without providing many details. The shift comes a day after Trump told protesters in Iran that “help is on the way” and that his administration would “act accordingly” to respond to the Islamic Republic’s deadly crackdown.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also sought to tone down the rhetoric, urging the U.S. to find a solution through negotiation.

Asked by Fox News what he would say to Trump, Araghchi said: “My message is: Between war and diplomacy, diplomacy is a better way, although we don’t have any positive experience from the United States. But still diplomacy is much better than war.”

The change in tone by the U.S. and Iran came hours after the chief of the Iranian judiciary said the government must act quickly to punish the thousands who have been detained.

Activists warned that hangings of detainees could come soon. The security forces’ crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,615, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Demonstrators burn a poster depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, in Holon, Israel Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A woman mourns next to the flag-draped coffins of a group of security forces, who were killed during anti-government protests, during their funeral ceremony, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A man hands out posters of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a funeral ceremony for a group of security forces, who were killed during anti-government protests, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People take part in a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, Berlin Germany, Wednesday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Policemen protect the British Embassy during a protest by hardline supporters of the Iranian government, as people ride on their motorbike in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)