Carlos Rodon’s strong outing propels Yankees to franchise-matching best start
NY Post
He was not exactly facing Murderers’ Row, but the opponent has often not mattered for Carlos Rodon as a Yankee.
On Tuesday, it was the Marlins in front of him, and Rodon mowed them down for one of his best starts in pinstripes.
Rodon took a shutout into the seventh inning before running into some trouble (only part of which was his own doing), but it was enough to send the Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Marlins in The Bronx.
“A step in the right direction today,” Rodon said after giving up a pair of unearned runs over six-plus innings with six strikeouts. “Just keep going. The confidence is growing, for sure.”
The Yankees are now off to a 10-2 start, matching their best in franchise history through 12 decisions after also doing it in 1922, 1949 and 2003 — three seasons that each ended in a trip to the World Series.
“It’s huge. This is the way we expect to play,” said Alex Verdugo, who put the Yankees ahead in the second inning with his first home run to the short porch as a Yankee. “To come out of spring training, back it up and do what we did against not light competition by any means — we’ve been facing some good teams. This is what you have to do early and throughout the whole year: win series.”
We’ll soon learn how much Falcons owner Arthur Blank values $10 million in cold, hard cash.
TAMPA — Add one more quirk to a Yankees rotation that has become quirky: Without their No. 1 starter, their No. 2 starter likely will not shift ahead in the order.
The Jets were quiet on Day 2 of free agency after adding a new quarterback Monday.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Brett Berard has displayed both a fiery passion and an admirable patience in the last six months of his hockey career, which reached the NHL level for the first time at the end of November.
PORT ST. LUCIE — The baseball calendar says the Mets have about two weeks until Opening Day, but Francisco Lindor’s mind is on another timetable as these dog days of spring training pass.
The man with the best nickname on the team is one of the few Knicks who has made it this far relatively unscathed in the court of public opinion.
For a guy who seemingly is always headed out the door, Darius Slayton has a way of never leaving.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Rangers stood by their defensive structure in the immediate aftermath of their Weekend of Missed Opportunities, in which they had two chances to capture the top wild-card spot in the East and failed to do so in such disappointing fashion.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Luis Torrens helped inject life into the Mets’ season last year but now faces even larger responsibilities with the team.
The Jets are having a Fields Day.
SACRAMENTO — P.J. Tucker understands his reputation as a hard-nosed player who is willing to vocalize displeasure.
The Yankees have insurance on Gerrit Cole, which is a positive thing in a very worrisome situation.
Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve, oh, the Rangers might’ve had a weekend if they had only buckled down after taking a 3-1 lead into the final 10 minutes in Ottawa on Saturday.