Carlos Rodon put a cap on his best regular season as a Yankee by turning in a quality start for the sixth straight time, allowing three runs on four hits in six innings of work in a 5-3 Yankee win on Thursday night.
Had Rodon recorded one more out against the Red Sox on Aug. 24, he would have ended the regular season with nine straight quality starts. Instead, he settles for eight of his last nine, and closes the regular season with a very impressive 3.09 ERA.
The $162 million lefty rightfully heard plenty of criticism in a nightmare debut season in the Bronx in 2023, a year that began with injury. He bounced back in 2024 to post a 3.96 ERA before mixed results in the postseason, but in 2025, he has been everything the Yanks could have hoped for.
Rodon reached the 200 strikeout mark on Thursday, logged his 18th win, and became the first pitcher in Yankee history to eclipse 200 strikeouts while surrendering less than 140 hits in a single season, according to Stathead’s Katie Sharp. He ends his regular season with the lowest opponent batting average among any qualified starter, and his starts, innings pitched, and win totals were all career highs.
The 2025 All-Star was a bonafide No. 2 behind Max Fried, who finished a splendid debut season the night before. Together, the two pitched to an ERA of 2.97, giving the Yanks a vaunted 1-2 punch atop the rotation despite the loss of Gerrit Cole.
As the Yankees head towards a potential Wild Card Series in the Bronx, they have to feel confident about their chances given the two arms they will trot out in games one and two, even if they face the Red Sox and Garrett Crochet in a game one.