Just one week after Carlos Rodon gutted through Game 5 of the ALCS, sending the New York Yankees to their first World Series in 15 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers greeted the Yankee pitcher with a brutal welcome on the game's biggest stage.
Rodon lasted just 3.1 innings in Game 2 on Saturday night. In his forgettable outing, he gave up four runs on six hits with three home runs allowed. It turns out, a finger blister may have contributed to Rodon's poor showing. The minor injury may have caused Rodon to be over-reliant on his fastball while he was unable to effectively use his breaking pitches, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Monday.
It remains unclear how this could affect Rodon's start in Game 6, should the series extend that far, per the Post.
Despite the injury, the Yankees pitcher, who is in the midst of a 6 year, $162,000,000 contract in New York, made no excuses after Game 2, a 4-2 loss.
“This start is hard, and it’s unfortunate because it is Game 2 of the World Series,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been OK [in the playoffs]. I’ve tried to keep the games close. Tonight, it was tough putting the boys down 4-1. I wish I would’ve been better with some off-speed, and been a little bit more competitive and gone deeper in the game.”
While Rodon may have been able to weather the blister against other teams, the Dodgers are arguably the best offensive team in the game. He credited the LA batters for adjusting the second time through the order and attacking his mistakes.
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“The second time through they made a conscious effort of trying to get on top of those fastballs, and they did,” Rodon said. “I could’ve gotten to some better spots with them. I could’ve been a lot better with some off-speed pitches, just mixed better. Not executing those off-speed pitches kept them on the fastball.”
The loss put the Yankees down 0-2 in the World Series. The series now shifts to the Bronx with Game 3 on Monday night.
