The athlete’s mind is a
fascinating thing, sometimes unable to cope with success, other times refusing
to accept defeat. One such mind—a
pitcher’s, no less—controlled events yesterday at Yankee Stadium.
White Sox starter Carlos Rodon, he
of the great stuff that comes and goes, gave up single runs in two of the first
three innings and was lucky to be down by just a 2-0 score when Sox shortstop
Tim Anderson helped the cause in the fourth inning with his first career grand
slam. From that point on, Rodon was
virtually unhittable and retired the last 11 batters he faced in a 5-2 Sox win.
Does this mean Rodon can pitch
from behind, should pitch from behind? I
don’t know, but the difference before and after Anderson’s blast was impossible
to ignore. I would prefer Rodon pitch
this way all the time, but if Sox hitters can get his attention, fine. Of course, Sox hitters have done their job
with Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito on the mound, and it hasn’t
mattered. But we take baby steps during
the rebuild.
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