NEW YORK — Left-hander Carlos Rodón will start the AL Championship Series opener for the New York Yankees against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night.
Rodón rebounded to a 16-9 record with a 3.96 ERA over 172 innings in 32 starts in his second season with the Yankees after signing a $162 million, six-year contract. He went 3-8 with a career-worst 6.85 ERA over 14 outings in a 2023 season that didn’t start for him until July 7 because of a strained left forearm and back stiffness.
Rodón, 31, took the loss in Game 2 of the AL Division Series against the Kansas City Royals last Monday.
He pitched shutout ball until giving up a leadoff homer to Salvador Perez that sparked a four-run fourth inning. Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia added RBI singles in a 4-2 win that evened the best-of-five series.
Ace Gerrit Cole starts Game 2 on Tuesday.