Yankees Pitcher Returns to Dominant Form Despite Rough Inning

The New York Yankees finally broke through a rough pitching slump with a 9-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins, and it was all thanks to one name: Carlos Rodón.

The game started off rough. Twins center fielder Austin Martin started things off with a hit, followed by a walk and hit by pitch. Things got even worse when the fifth batter of the night, Twins infielder Royce Lewis, hit a ground ball and allowed Martin to score.

After the first, however, Rodón completely shut down the Twins, allowing no hits or runs for six innings. The strong start set things up for a dominant Yankees victory. Left hander Tim Hill easily notched a strikeout in a strong eighth inning, followed by rightie Yerry De los Santos in the ninth to finish things out.

Jul 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón (55) reacts during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

After the game, Rodón responded to questions about whether or not he was worried about the rest of the game after throwing over 30 pitches in the first inning alone.

"That wasn't in my head in the moment, I was just trying to get three outs after a hit, walk and hit by pitch. That was it, just trying to get three outs and keep this game 1-nothing," he said. "We were set up for disaster there but we got through it."

Carlos Rodón was asked if there was any concern he wouldn't make it past the first inning tonight after throwing 30+ pitches:

"That wasn't in my head in the moment, I was trying to get three outs after a hit, walk and hit by pitch. That was it, trying to get three outs" pic.twitter.com/ki12jiw86J
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 13, 2025

Rodón has been having a season of peaks and valleys. In the four games and 23.1 innings he pitched in July, he averaged a 4.24 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, a sharp contrast to his May ERA of 1.47, with a 0.88 WHIP in five games and 30.2 innings. Last night's outing was proof he can exhibit that sort of performance again.

In addition to an excellent pitching performance, the Pinstripes just couldn't stop scoring home runs in a return to their typically-dominant form. Aaron Judge, still fresh off a stint on the 10-day injured list, hit a 425 foot home run in the first. Short stop Anthony Volpe hit a three-run homer in the second, followed by Giancarlo Stanton's fifth-inning 447-foot bomb. It was more than enough to secure the Yankees' series victory over the Twins. They'll have an opportunity to turn that series win into a series sweep with the final game against Minnesota tonight.

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