"My wife's a tough lady" - Carlos Rodon opens up about social media abuse directed at wife Ashley during Yankees' ALDS clash

On Sunday, New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon talked about the abuse directed towards himself and his family after a tough ALDS Game 2 against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. Shortly after the game, Rodon's wife, Ashley, posted screenshots of the vile messages she received on Instagram.

Speaking to the press prior to the Yankees' ALCS opener against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium, Rodon talked about how he and his spouse deal with hate from fans.

"Actually, I didn't look at it. Ashley and I spoke about it that night, and she said, and I quote, "I have thick skin, so I'm gonna be okay", and she does, she's a tough lady, my wife, probably tougher than I am." Rodon said [0:16]

"On my phone, I have accounts, but I don't have social media [apps] on my phone. For good reason, for reasons like that, so I don't look at it. I think that's a good way to go about it, especially as the athlete." Rodon added [0:54]

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Carlos Rodon talks about learning from Yankees teammate Gerrit Cole

The loss for the Yankees in the second game of the ALDS against the Royals was a minor setback as the Pinstripers came back strong to win the next two games of the series at Kauffman Stadium. The Cleveland Guardians got the better of the Detroit Tigers, winning the deciding fifth game at Progressive Field on Friday.

Yankees skipper Aaron Boone has chosen Carlos Rodon to take to the mound for the home side in ALCS Game 1. Prior to the game, Rodon talked about his observations from teammate Gerrit Cole's quality performance in the ALDS.

"He goes seven, gives up one. There were some big outs there, he got out of jams when it was a one run, two run game. Every run matters. He keeps it in frame, on the mound. They do end up scoring a run, but he keeps it to one run." Rodon said [0:01]

"The biggest thing I saw from him in the seventh, he didn't react every inning, if you watched him come out it was just like a robot walking to the dugout. At the end of the seventh, it's a big roar, because he knows he did his job. That's one thing that resonated with me from that start." Rodon added [0:42]

In his last five games against the Cleveland Guardians, Rodon has a 3-1 record with a 2.63 ERA and 32 strikeouts. Yankees fans will be hoping the 31 year old can add to that positive record with more good work on Sunday, as the Bronx Bombers aim to take a crucial lead in the battle for a place in the World Series.