Before his ALCS Game 1 start, Carlos Rodón said he wanted to channel his emotions as well as Gerrit Cole, whom he compared to a poker player.
On Monday night in the Bronx, Rodón came up aces.
Rodón dominated the Cleveland Guardians over six stellar innings, leading the Yankees to a 5-2 victory and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series.
Leaning on a mid-90s fastball and a swing-and-miss slider, the left-hander struck out nine batters while limiting Cleveland to three hits and one run on 93 pitches.
Rodón recorded 25 swings and misses, ended each of the first five innings with a strikeout and did not issue a walk.
It was a stark improvement from Rodón’s start last week in Game 2 of the ALDS, when he cruised through the first three innings against the Kansas City Royals, only to surrender four runs in a fourth inning that he didn’t make it out of.
Rodón later acknowledged his focus slipped after Salvador Perez led off that fourth inning with a solo homer.
The only damage against Rodón on Monday came when No. 9 hitter Brayan Rocchio struck a solo home run to lead off the sixth and cut the Yankees’ lead to 4-1. Rodón locked back in from there, retiring the next three batters, including perennial MVP candidate José Ramírez, who flew out to finish off the frame.
A two-time All-Star, Rodón signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees before the 2023 season. He struggled with injury and inconsistency last year, pitching to a 6.85 ERA over 14 starts.
But Rodón delivered a bounce-back campaign this season, going 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA in 32 starts.
And on Monday, Rodón stepped up with the type of postseason performance the Yankees envisioned when they signed him to the second-biggest contract for a pitcher in franchise history, behind only Cole’s nine-year, $324 million deal.
On a chilly night in which Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce watched from a suite along the first-base line, several of the Yankees’ biggest stars shined.
Juan Soto started the scoring with a third-inning solo shot off of Cleveland starter Alex Cobb for his first postseason home run as a Yankee.
The 401-foot blast, which followed a first-inning single, made Soto 9-for-13 with three home runs in his career against Cobb.
Asked before the game why he’s been so successful against Cobb, a laughing Soto remained tight-lipped.
“I can tell you after the game, but not right now,” Soto replied. “I bet you he’s listening.”
That proved to be shrewd.
Soto’s shot kicked off a three-run third inning for the Yankees, who chased Cobb after 2.2 innings after he walked the bases loaded.
Cleveland right-hander Joey Cantillo then imploded in relief, throwing a whopping four wild pitches in his 0.1 innings. His first two wild pitches came in that third inning, allowing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton to score.
The next two came in the fourth, letting Gleyber Torres go from first to third. Torres scored on a sacrifice fly by Judge, who picked up his first RBI of the postseason and put the Yankees up, 4-0.
Stanton continued his latest torrid postseason with another home run, this time slugging a seventh-inning solo shot to extend the Yankees’ lead to 5-1. That gave Stanton two homers and five RBI this postseason and 13 home runs in 32 career playoff games.
Jumping on Cobb was a winning formula, as the Guardians boast baseball’s best bullpen and thrive at shortening games with their late-inning relievers, led by star closer Emmanuel Clase.
The Yankees bullpen, meanwhile, did not allow an earned run in 15.2 innings in the ALDS, but left-hander Tim gave up a run Monday and left with runners on the corners and one out in the eighth in a 5-2 game.
Luke Weaver extinguished that threat without another run scoring, then pitched a scoreless ninth for a five-out save. Weaver, who assumed the closer role in September, has recorded a save in each of the Yankees’ four wins this postseason.
The Yankees will look to go up 2-0 in the series on Tuesday night in the Bronx. Cole, who pitched to a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings in the ALDS, is set to start for the Yankees.
Cleveland is turning to right-hander Tanner Bibee, who recorded a 3.47 ERA in the regular season and held the Detroit Tigers to two runs over 8.2 innings in two ALDS starts.