Keith was on the air after the Yankees lost to the Royals on Friday night, and he wasted no time in ripping into Carlos Rodon after the lefty ended his disappointing debut season by allowing eight runs without recording an out, and turning his back on pitching coach Matt Blake during a mound visit.
“I don’t know who you think you are, where you think you are, what you think you are, but I don’t like it,” Keith said. “This guy has some arrogance to him. This guy thinks he’s something that he’s not. Thinks he’s a bulldog - I thought he was looking at his highlights from San Francisco - but he’s a puppy. All bark, no bite. A fake tough guy.
“That is the easiest landing spot in the league. You are facing the worst team in baseball. It’s them or the Oakland A’s…Carlos Rodon had the opportunity to come out tonight and end his first half of a season with the Yankees on a high note, and he blew it. It is unacceptable.”
Rodon ends his brutal season with a 6.85 ERA after missing the first half of the season, and the photo frame to sum up his 2023 campaign will be the lefty gesturing Blake back to the dugout while turning his back to his coach.
“This guy is the poster boy for this failed season…he can’t handle the road fans in Anaheim,” Keith said.
“That was terrible. It was a bad look. And we’re stuck with this guy. Six years, $162 million. Another Brian Cashman masterclass.”
