Carlos Rodon's kiss with wife Ashley after Yankees' ALDS win draws 3-word reaction from Riverdale star Vanessa Morgan

For Carlos Rodon, the 2024 MLB season has been quite a journey. However, the left-hander's early struggles all seemed to fade into the background on Thursday, when the New York Yankees clinched their ticket to the ALCS.

The Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals 3-1 at Kauffman Stadium to clinch their berth in the semi-finals. After the game, Carlos' wife, Ashley, posted a picture of the pair sharing a kiss on the playing field, captioned with "ALCS Bound."

Some rather high-profile names took to commenting beneath the heartwarming post. Among them was Vanessa Morgan, known for her role in the teen TV series Riverdale. Morgan was formerly engaged to Michael Kopech, a former teammate of Carlos Rodon during his days with the Chicago White Sox.

"Cute cute cute" - Morgan commented on the post.

Carlos and Ashley are married with three sons, and keep themselves busy. In addition to her responsibilities as a wife and mother, Ashley is the Executive Director of the Nest Egg Foundation, and also founded the Willow Grant with her New York Yankees pitcher husband.

After a bumpy start to the season, Rodon went 5-2 with a 3.13 ERA and 66 strikeouts in his final 10 appearances of the season. Between May and June, Rodon's ERA sat at 5.46.

"Carlos Rodón, K'ing the Side in the 1st. He's already activated full Psychopath mode." - Pitching Ninja

In Game 2 of the 2024 ALDS against the Kansas City Royals, Rodon only lasted 3.2 innings before being pulled for allowing four earned runs. Although he personally struggled in the series, he and his wife are no less happy about finding a way through to the next round.

Carlos Rodon defends wife amid backlash online

Following the painful 4-2 loss in Game 2 to the Royals, several online commenters put Rodon, and his family, in their crosshairs. After reading several ridiculing comments about his wife, the 31-year-old hit back, telling NJ.com:

“People are pretty disgusting at times, but that doesn’t explain Yankee fans. I don’t think that’s who they are. I understand [fans] get frustrated with the game, but my message to fans all around is, ‘We are human as well. “We’re not always perfect. Let’s not forget this is just a game and don’t threaten people’s families.”

’Never one to shy away from defending those who matter most to him, Carlos Rodon will soon be making his first-ever ALCS start as the Yankees await their next opponent.