New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon was feeling himself on Tuesday in his start against the Boston Red Sox. He went five innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out nine batters.
He gave up a leadoff home run to Ceddanne Rafaela but settled in right after that. He struck out Trevor Story and then Adam Duvall. After the Duvall strikeout, Rodon was seen making a shushing gesture as he turned toward second base.
It is not exactly clear who or what Rodon was shushing. There was a runner on second base, which was the direction the lefty made the gesture. It would make sense that the runner was trying to throw Rodon off his game, causing him to turn around and give it to the runner.
That is all speculation, as we cannot be certain of Rodon's intentions. While unlikely, he could also have made the gesture at the field umpire or even his teammates.
"Guy won't last 2 years here" one fan posted.
"He has no room to be doing stuff like this" another fan posted.
Given the tough year Carlos Rodon has had, New York Yankees fans do not enjoy seeing things like this. It is one thing to taunt when you are having a stellar year. However, it does not look good when you have been struggling for much of the season.
For what it is worth, Rodon did back up his actions. This was one of his better starts of the season.
Carlos Rodon and the New York Yankees need to be better next season
This has largely been a season to forget for Carlos Rodon and the New York Yankees. After signing him and re-signing Aaron Judge in the offseason, many expected the Bronx Bombers to be a top team.
The team took a hit when Judge tore a ligament in his toe that nearly cost him two months. Others failed to step up, making the offense almost nonexistent. They also dealt with an injury to another top slugger, Anthony Rizzo. He had to be shut down for the rest of the season with post-concussion syndrome.
On the pitching side, Gerrit Cole has been the only consistent starter the team has had all season. Rodon has been shaky alongside Luis Severino and Domingo German.
All eyes will be on this team next season as they look to return to being the championship contender they know they can be.