It happened again.
Following his previous start, Carlos Rodón expressed frustration about the number of walks he was issuing. Compounding those free passes was the damage that often followed. Then history repeated itself on Sunday afternoon to blemish another outing.
After at times looking dominant into the sixth inning, Rodón issued a walk right before giving up a second home run to Jung Hoo Lee, this one a three-run shot that squandered a Yankees lead and led to a 5-4 loss to the Giants in The Bronx.
On a day when he struck out eight and allowed just three hits, Rodón was once again left to pick up the pieces of a loss as the Yankees (8-7) dropped the rubber game of the series to the Giants (11-4).
“Just frustrating,” Rodón said. “Falling behind guys. We have the momentum and I just got to be better.”
Yankees starter Carlos Rodon reacts as he’s pulled from the loss to the Giants on April 13, 2025.Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Jazz Chisholm Jr. snapped an 0-for-24 skid by drilling a home run to lead off the eighth inning that pulled the Yankees within 5-4, but that was as close as they would get.
The Yankees led 3-1 entering the sixth inning, with Rodón having looked sharp through the first five while allowing just two base runners, one being Lee’s solo shot in the fourth.
No. 9 hitter Christian Koss led off with a slow roller to shortstop that Anthony Volpe charged and tried to backhand, only for it to roll under his glove. Rodón responded by striking out Heliot Ramos, but then walked Willy Adames on five pitches.
The left-hander then had Lee in a 1-2 count and threw a curveball that was supposed to be down, but hung at the top of the zone that Lee drilled for a three-run shot and the 4-3 lead.
Carlos Rodon reacts during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ loss to the Giants on April 13, 2025.Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“Just a terrible execution on a curveball that he punished,” Rodón said.
Last Monday in Detroit, Rodón was burned by walks to the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters (the latter on a questionable call) before giving up a three-run homer that changed the game. The start before that against the Diamondbacks, he led off the game with a walk and two batters later, got taken deep for a two-run shot.
Through four starts this season, Rodón has walked 12 batters, six of which have come around to score. It has been the bugaboo for the $162 million pitcher in a rotation that has been shaky at best to start the season.
Carlos Rodon reacts after giving up a three-run home run in the sixth inning on April 13, 2025.Robert Sabo for NY Post
“Not much you can do on the infield single, but then the walk ahead of the homer,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s that small of a separator between him being in a dominant position right now to — the reality is we got to look at it as he’s throwing the ball incredibly well. It’s that next level of avoiding that ball that — today, it was one ball.
“I thought the stuff was excellent. He had swing-and-miss with everything. He had a presence with everything. But obviously a three-run homer hurt us today.”
The Giants added an insurance run — which proved to be the difference — in the seventh inning when Casey Schmitt led off with a double against Mark Leiter Jr. and came in to score on a chopper that got under the glove of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to make it 5-3.
Facing Giants ace Logan Webb, the Yankees had jumped out on top early to give Rodón some breathing room. Aaron Judge doubled and scored on Goldschmidt’s single in the bottom of the first inning. Then in the second, Jasson Domínguez and J.C. Escarra hit back-to-back doubles before Ben Rice shot an RBI single the other way to make it 3-0.
The Yankees knocked Webb out of the game after five innings but ultimately could not take advantage.
“It’s really frustrating,” Rodón said. “Up 3-1 in the sixth, obviously want to hang up a zero. Just missed execution on the curveball and I got punished. It’s not good enough.”
