Carlos Rodón became the first starter in Yankees history to allow eight runs without recording an out. It wasn't a good game; he finished by giving up two walks and six hits, and ultimately, all of them scored.
Yankees fans noticed that Rodón was turning his back to the pitching coach Matt Blake and pointing for him to go back to the dugout during a mound visit after giving up four runs and having two more on base.
"I understand we all have jobs to do. He's frustrated. That's a big part of it. There's a remorseful side and an apologetic side to it, but you can't act like that," Blake said after the game, according to The Athletic's Chris Kirschner.
Rodón responded to the incident saying, "Really embarrassing, and then doing that with Matt coming out trying to help me, I turned my back...I was not in the right mind. That's on me."
Yankees have failed to protect Carlos Rodón's long-term health
In the 2022 off-season, the Yankees signed Rodón to a six-year, $162 million contract. They signed him despite some worries he might be hurt, and indeed he was hurt, and they still decided to add him.
Rodón started the season on the injured list and had a cortisone shot in his back due to "chronic back issues." But the thing is, getting cortisone shots is known to decay the bones and cause even more long-term damage. Instead of trying to rehab slowly, they decided to push out an injured player and give him long-term problems instead of waiting until he was healthy to play.
The Yankees ultimately got what they deserved, as Rodón was a terrible pitcher in 2023 with a record of 3-7 and an ERA of 5.74 in the 13 games he played, meaning he missed 20 since a starter should have between 32 and 33.
The Yankees should never have signed Rodón, and their decision to bring him back early will be a curse for a long time, but they have the money, and signing bad contracts is something the Yankees like doing.
