Fastball

New York Yankees High-Priced Lefty Makes Team History in Game 1 Win

The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday night as Carlos Rodon dominated on the mound.

Brady Farkas

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) reacts after a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning during game two of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium on Oct 7.
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) reacts after a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning during game two of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium on Oct 7. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium.

The 5-2 win means the Yankees are just three wins away from getting to the World Series while the loss means Cleveland is three of those away from seeing its season end.

In the win, the Yankees took advantage of disappointing Cleveland control on the mound, scoring two runs on via wild pitches. Furthermore, the Yankees also got solo home runs from both Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton.

On the mound, the Yankees got a stellar performance from left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon. He gave up just one run on three hits over six innings. He walked none and struck out nine.

Rodon's stuff was electric in the victory, and he made some history because of it.

Per @MLB on social media:

Carlos Rodón generated 25 swings and misses tonight, the most by a @Yankees pitcher in a #Postseason game under pitch tracking (since 2008).

h/t @SlangsOnSports

Sure, 16 years is not the entire history of baseball, but it's certainly a big enough sample size to be impressed by what Rodon put together.

The 31-year-old lefty signed a six-year deal with the Yankees before the 2023 season but spent most of that season injured and ineffective. He was much better in 2024, going 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA.

In his 10th year in the big leagues, he's played with the Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants and Yankees.

Game 2 of the series is Tuesday night at 7:38 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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