The bases were loaded three batters into the game, but Carlos Rodón dug in and went to work from there.
The Twins managed to score only one run in the first inning on an infield out, while Rodón impressively retired 17 straight batters through the sixth, leading the Yankees to a 9-1 victory over Minnesota at the Stadium on Tuesday night.
The All-Star left-hander allowed just one hit—a leadoff single by Austin Martin at the start of the game—across seven dominant innings, improving his record to 12-7 over 25 starts this season.
“We were set up for disaster there, but we got through it,” Rodón stated post-game. “We pushed one across [in the bottom half], and it felt like a 0-0 game for me. I just wanted to put up a shutdown inning [in the second].”
âOffensively we were able to swing the bats and put up nine runs, and that made it easier for me to fill up the zone and just attack hitters.â
Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe, and Giancarlo Stanton all hit home runs in support of Rodón, who completed at least six innings for the first time in five starts since July 11, his final appearance before the All-Star break.
Rodón needed 31 pitches to navigate the opening frame, but no more than 13 in any inning thereafter.
âNot really expecting [to go seven] after 31 pitches in the first, but baseballâs a funny game,â Rodón added.
Martin began the game for the Twins with a single to center, and Rodón proceeded to walk Byron Buxton and hit Ryan Jeffers with a pitch, loading the bases before recording an out.
But the $162 million lefty whiffed Luke Keaschall for the first out and Kody Clemens for the third around a run-scoring infield out by Royce Lewis.
The Yankees quickly made up for that early run with Judge’s first homer in seven games since his return from the injured list, and they extended their lead to 4-1 with Volpe’s three-run shot an inning later.
Rodón took it from there, not allowing another base runner until walking Jeffers with two outs in the sixth and no other hits until Tim Hill replaced him with a 7-1 lead to start the eighth.
âItâs one of those like, is he gonna get out of the first inning? Thatâs where your mind is for a minute,â Aaron Boone said. âBut he gets the big strikeout and gets the ground ball and itâs like, âHey, we got a chance to limit damage here.â
âTo only give up one, I thought he executed a really good two-strike pitch to Clemens. Then he just settled in and I really thought it looked a lot different, even in the second. Really big effort by him to be able to give us seven innings after a 30-plus pitch first inning, when itâs looking like itâs going to be rough. It was really big.â
