Yankees Snub Carlos Rodón for ALDS Game 1, Hand Ball to Gerrit Cole Despite Dominant September

The New York Yankees have made their call, and it is not the one plenty of people inside their own clubhouse expected. Manager Aaron Boone announced Friday that Gerrit Cole, not Carlos Rodón, will start Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, passing over a left-hander who finished the regular season as hot as anyone on the staff.

Rodón, 33, closed out an injury-interrupted campaign in dominant fashion, going 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA over his final four September starts, including eight shutout innings against these same Rays on September 22. For the full season, delayed by an offseason elbow cleanup, he went 7-3 with a 2.67 ERA and a 26.8 percent strikeout rate across 16 starts. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in 26 consecutive starts dating back to last year, a franchise record.

Boone Weighs Recent Form Against Playoff Pedigree

The decision set off real debate inside the organization. Pitching coach Matt Blake told reporters he was “in between” on the choice, noting that Rodón “performed extremely well in the second half and in September in particular.” But Blake also pointed to Cole’s track record as a “big game pitcher,” a label that ultimately tipped the scale. Cole has allowed just five runs across four career postseason starts against Tampa Bay, though he has never pitched at Tropicana Field in October. He went 1-1 with a 2.50 ERA against the Rays in three regular-season starts this year and will face Tampa’s right-handed starter, Drew Rasmussen, on Saturday.

Rodón’s postseason history is the complicating factor working against him. He carries a 7.53 ERA over 28.2 career playoff innings, including a rough Game 2 start in the 2024 World Series and a shaky ALDS outing last October that the Yankees survived thanks to late heroics from Aaron Judge. He has never faced Tampa Bay in the playoffs, but he does own a 3.36 ERA over 11 career regular-season starts against the Rays and a 3.68 ERA in three starts at Tropicana Field specifically. Tampa Bay also posted the league’s 25th-best OPS against left-handed pitching this season, a matchup data point that made Rodón’s omission from Game 1 sting even more for those who favored him.

What Comes Next for the Rotation

Boone indicated the Yankees intend to use all four of their healthy starters — Cole, Rodón, Cam Schlittler and Max Fried — at some point in the best-of-five series, calling it “definitely possible” that each gets a start. Cam Schlittler is expected to follow in Game 2, with Rodón or Fried lined up for Game 3 back in the Bronx. New York’s rotation led the majors with a 3.30 ERA this season, giving Boone unusual depth to lean on if the series stretches deep.

For bettors tracking the Yankees’ championship odds as the series shifts to Tropicana Field, matchups like this one carry real line movement, and keeping tabs on a DraftKings promo code or similar offer can help soften the cost of following New York through October. Rodón, for his part, sounded unbothered by the decision when addressing Tampa Bay’s style of play ahead of the series. “They bring speed to the game, they’re going to be running, bunting. You don’t see that much in the game anymore,” he said. “They’re a solid club. It’s going to be a good series.”

Whether Cole validates Boone’s trust or the Yankees are forced to turn to Rodón out of the bullpen early, as they did during the Wild Card round against Boston, the left-hander’s redemption arc is far from over. If New York needs length later in the series, Rodón’s recent form against this exact opponent makes him one of the more intriguing weapons still in reserve. Game 1 first pitch at Tropicana Field is set for Saturday evening.