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Carlos Rodon is the starting pitcher for the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians. In his previous outing, Rodon struggled as a starter in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals. The two-time All-Star went flat after a strong start, giving up four runs in just 3.1 innings, ultimately leading to a 4-2 loss for the Yankees.
As Rodon takes on the mound against the Guardians, Yankees legends and Fox Sports analysts Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter shared what the pitcher should do in ALCS Game 1.
"He [Carlos Rodon] has to control his emotions. I don't want to see 99 or 100. I mean, he is so fired up here [ALDS Game 2 vs. Royals] in the first inning that I thought when I was watching it, it was too much," Rodriguez said (1:13 mark).
"He has to channel that emotion and make it work in his favor. I'd like to see him at 96 to 97, maybe 95 — not 99, 100 or 101. That's too much, too early," he added.
Derek Jeter echoed his former teammate's assessment regarding the need for Carlos Rodon to control his emotions. However, Jeter also admitted that he hasn't had the opportunity to watch many of Rodon's starts for the Yankees. As such, he doesn't know whether the pitcher is performing like his regular-season self.
"Rodon, he does, he has to control his emotions. The whole thing about being successful in the postseason is being able to control your emotions," Jeter said (2:01 mark).
Carlos Rodon had faced heavy criticism following his performance against the Royals, and his wife, Ashley, was unfortunately subjected to threats on social media.
Responding to the issue, Rodonn showered his wife with support, calling her a strong woman for handling the situation with resilience but condemned the threats.
Red Sox legend concurs with Yankees legends on Carlos Rodon assessment
The third analyst on Fox Sports alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter is David Ortiz, a former Boston Red Sox slugger who won multiple World Series titles. Like A-Rod and Jeter, Ortiz felt the same about Carlos Rodon.
"I always say this: your emotion can turn out to be your worst enemy. And that's what happened to him [Rodon in Game 2 of ALDS vs. Royals] in that game right there. He needs to control his emotion. He has electric stuff, but he has to locate his pitches so he doesn't get in trouble," Ortiz said (1:13 mark).
On a different note, Ortiz expressed his belief that Aaron Judge will find his form in the ALCS against the Guardians. Judge didn't perform like his regular-season self against the Royals in the ALDS.
