Rodon Beguiled Again by Gopher Balls. SF 5 NY 4

April 13, 2025 paperbacklou 2025 0
Jazz Chisholm Jr. with a solo homer in the 8th.

Carlos Rodon was pitching a terrific game and winning 3-0 when again he was bit by the gopher ball — coughing up a solo homer in the 4th and a 3-run homer in the 6th, both to South Korean homer king Jung Hoo Lee — to send the Yanks to a 5-4 loss on a Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

The Yanks were also beguiled by defense — a couple of plays not turned on their end:

  • A slow grounder to shortstop that Anthony Volpe couldn’t quite pick in the 6th that preceded the 3-run HR by Lee, and
  • A grounder to Paul Goldschmidt in the 7th that went under his glove for an error and led to an unearned insurance run for the Giants,

and a spectacular catch by Giants’ rightfielder Luis Matos that robbed Goldschmidt of a HR in the 3rd.

It all added up to a win-turned-into-disappointing-loss. At least the temperatures were warmer than they had been all week: mid 50’s with cloudy skies and the outbreak of sun here and there.

“I thought he was excellent, but a critical mistake with runners on,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards about Rodon. “It was really one pitch that hurt his outing — with 2 strikes, a hanging curveball. The first one we’re up 3-0, he’s aggressive in the zone; he hit a slider out. But the 2-strike hanger there, that hurt. But around that it was excellent. So that’s the next level. Got to try and avoid those.”

NY loses 2 of 3 in the 3-game series and falls to 8-7; the Giants improve to 11-4.

1. Yanks Shred Webb Early

It all started out so well.

The Yanks untangled San Fran’s Logan Webb early. Webb is one of the Giants’ top starters and came in with a 1-0 1.89 record after going 13-10 3.47 last year.

But the Yankees pounced on him in the bottom of the 1st when Aaron Judge hit a blistering rocket to centerfield that banged off the centerfield fence 405 feet away. It would have been a homerun in 19 of the 30 MLB ballparks, but not Yankee Stadium and Judge was on 2nd with a double.

Cody Bellinger grounded out but Paul Goldschmidt singled to right and it was 1-0 Yankees.

The Yanks went to work against Webb in the bottom of the 2nd — a 1-out double to right by Jasson Dominguez, followed by a double to right by J.C. Escarra and it was 2-0 Yankees.

With 2 outs, Ben Rice singled to opposite field left and it was 3-0 Yankees.

2. Matos ROBS Goldschmidt of HR

In the bottom of the 3rd, Paul Goldschmidt rocked one to the right-field corner, but Luis Matos robbed him of a homer — leaping over the wall and snatching it for an out.

The lost Homer would haunt the Yanks.

3. Rodon Undone by 2 Gopher Balls

Meanwhile Rodon was Cruising — pitching shutout ball and in command. His fastball had bite at 96 MPH, his off speed pitches were sharp. All looked good. The Yanks were going to win this game and take 2 of 3 in this series.

But Suzyn Waldman jinxed Rodon in the bottom of the 4th, talking about how good he was pitching, and how he entered the game with a 5.19 ERA but “what’s great about the Yankee Stadium scoreboard is it gives a pitcher’s ERA after every batter and Rodon’s is now at 4.35” — and literally seconds later Lee hit a 3-2 slider for a 406-foot homer to center. NY 3 San Fran 1.

Waldman followed by saying that when Rodon makes a mistake, it generally leaves the park.

Rodon was still cruising with a 3-1 lead in the top of the 6th when rookie 2nd baseman Christian Koss hit a slow grounder toward shortstop that Anthony Volpe tried to nab but it went under his glove and Koss had his first hit in the Majors.

Rodon then walked Willy Adames, and hung a 1-2 slider to Lee, who hit it 363 feet over the right centerfield wall for a 3-run homer, and Suzyn Waldman was saying how it was uncanny that when Rodon allowed homers, he also had a tendency to do it with people on base.

SF 4 NY 3.

Rodon got an out, then walked another batter and was gone. His line: 5.2 innings, 3 hits, 4 runs, 8 K’s, 3 walks. He’s 1-3 and his ERA climbs to 5.48.

4. Goldschmidt Error Allows SF Run in 7th

Mark Leiter Jr. got the final out of the 6th, but allowed a leadoff double to Schmidt in the 7th, NY down 4-3.

Leiter looked to get out of his jam — getting a strikeout and an easy grounder to 1st — but the ball went under Goldschmidt’s glove for an error and it was 5-3 San Francisco.

5. Chisholm HR Closes It to 5-4

Meanwhile the Yankee offense had been shutdown as Webb found his form and pitched a shutout 3rd thru 5th, and Hayden Birdsong came in and pitched a no-hit, shutout 6th and 7th.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. broke out of his slump and gave the Yankees hope with a solo homer leading off the bottom of the 8th off Tyler Rogers, making it a 5-4 game.

But Rogers got the next 3 outs, and Ryan Walker pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401695131

 

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