SAN FRANCISCO (95.7 The Game) — When the Giants took a four-run lead in the third inning of the Bay Bridge Series opener against the A’s on Tuesday evening, it might as well have felt like a 40-run lead. That’s how good Giants left-hander Carlos Rodón has been pitching this season.
Even on a night when he claimed to be inconsistent with his secondary pitch command, Rodón spun a gem, striking out nine over six innings while allowing three hits and two walks in the Giants' 8-2 victory.
Through four starts to begin a season, no Giants pitcher has ever matched Rodón’s total of 38 strikeouts, as he surpassed Tim Lincecum’s total of 33 in 2009.
After his dominant performance Tuesday, Rodón downplayed the early strikeout success. He’s still the new guy, after all, and believes any talk of his place in franchise history is premature.
“It’s been four starts,” Rodón said. “Those guys were here for a while – guys like Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. They had pretty historical seasons here with the Giants, winning World Series, perfect games and no-hitters, Cy Youngs. Those guys are pretty special. We’ll just leave it at – it’s only been four starts.”
Rodón is putting up ridiculous numbers early on this season. He totes a 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and MLB-best 14.9 K/9 rate. You can make a strong argument he’s currently baseball’s most dominant pitcher.
“I’ve always seen from afar how nasty he was,” Giants catcher Joey Bart said. “Once you get in that battery, man, it’s a different ballgame. It’s special stuff."
Talent has never been a problem for Rodón. The biggest issue for him has been his durability, as only six of his 24 starts wit the White Sox in 2021 were made on normal four days’ rest. The season is only 19 days old and he’s four starts in, but Rodón said he feels strong.
“Feel pretty good,” Rodón said. “Still throwing pretty well.”
Asked if he anticipates needing extra time between starts again as the season draws on, Rodón responded: “We’ll just take it day-by-day. However it shakes out, the schedule, whenever they call my name, I’ll go out there and pitch.”
What’s crazy to think is that the 29-year-old Rodón has another level. He explained he’d like to improve the command of his slider and curveball. It seems like he can almost survive exclusively with his 97+ mph heater, which he can dart around the zone and push past righties and lefties alike. There aren’t many southpaw starters – if any – who pump gas like Rodón. Of his nine strikeouts Tuesday night, six were swinging and six came on offspeed pitches, so he can be a menace even when he’s not in top form.
The Giants believed they were getting a stud when they signed Rodón to a two-year, $44-million deal this past offseason, but the early returns have been remarkable.
His ERA (1.17) ranks fourth in MLB, behind Seattle Mariners righty Logan Gilbert (0.40), Miami Marlins righty Pablo López and lefty Madison Bumgarner, who has a 1.00 ERA in four starts with the Diamondbacks. Rodón's 38 strikeouts are five more than the next closest pitchers, reigning National League Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and Mets superstar Max Scherzer.
Rodón's K/BB ratio of 38/8 nearly mirrors the 39/7 ratio of Gilbert and López. Bumgarner, meanwhile, has struck out 13 batters while walking 10.
Beyond the numbers, Rodón gives the Giants an unspoken air of confidence when he's out on the hill.
“We had a pretty good indication that (Rodón) was a dominant starter,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “He’s certainly met or exceeded our expectations.”
Bart has caught all four of Rodón’s starts so far in a Giants uniform and hopes he keeps getting the chance to catch him every five days.
“It’s so much fun,” Bart said. “You build that connection with your guy and I want him to punch guys out more than he does. It’s such a good feeling. It’s hard to explain. You get so riled up and jazzed up and ready to go. When it comes together, you have six innings, one run and nine punchies and he’s not even on top of his stuff. Sky’s the limit for him.”