Carlos Rodon was unshakeable in Yankees crowd-pleaser

Carlos Rodon looked the part of a $162 million workhorse in his second Yankees playoff start. After he got knocked around and took the loss in the only blemish of the playoffs thus far for the Yankees, Rodon rebounded Monday to spin a six-inning gem in a 5-2 victory against the Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS. “Game 1 just sets the tone,” Rodon said when he was named the starter over teammate Clarke Schmidt. Rodon generated 25 swings and misses — the most by a Yankees pitcher in a postseason game since pitch tracking began in 2008, according to MLB statistician Sarah Langs. The veteran left-hander, who made two previous postseason appearances with the White Sox, scattered three hits over six innings.He struck out nine and walked none, throwing 63 of 93 pitches for strikes and exiting with a 4-1 lead. It wasn’t a surprise to see Rodon open with three clean innings.

He did that in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Royals before he ran into trouble and didn’t survive the fourth inning. So it was significant when Rodon had his second of three straight 1-2-3 innings in the fourth against the meat of the order.Jose Ramirez lined out to center before Lane Thomas and Josh Naylor struck out swinging. It brought most in the crowd of 47,264 fans at Yankee Stadium to their feet. Of course, Yankees fans and Rodon aren’t always on good terms. When Rodon struggled against the Royals, anonymous social media users sent his wife messages mocking publicized details of the couple’s personal life that she shared online and called “disgusting.” She urged others not to “threaten people’s families.” Rodon’s string of 11 consecutive batters retired ended when Brayan Rocchio homered leading off the sixth.

But the 378-foot missile by the No.9 hitter did little to disrupt Rodon’s rhythm as he proceeded to retire the top-third of the lineup. As his final act, Rodon won a nine-pitch battle against the perennial American League MVP candidate Ramirez to end t...