Yankees Put Season on Carlos Rodón in Win-or-Else Game 3
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The New York Yankees don’t need a miracle on Tuesday night. They need Carlos Rodón to be the best version of himself. Down 0–2 after a pair of lopsided losses in Toronto, the Bombers return to the Bronx with their season hanging by a thread and their All-Star lefty on the mound. The assignment is simple and unforgiving: win today or start packing.
Toronto’s opening-weekend barrage set the tone. The Blue Jays took eight of 13 in the regular season, pummeled the Yankees in the first two ALDS games, and launched eight homers while setting a Major League record with 23 runs across the first two contests of a postseason series. Sunday’s 13–7 final only looked respectable on the screen. It was 11–0 through five with Max Fried already out and 22-year-old rookie Trey Yesavage flirting with a no-hit narrative. Yankee Stadium will bring a different volume and a different pressure. Rodón knows it, and he has built himself for exactly this night.
The Case For Rodón In Game 3
This version of Rodón blends power and polish. According to advanced metrics, his fastball still sets the table (94.1 mph average in 2025), but the repertoire goes deeper now. He has leaned into a six-pitch mix—
Just as important, the mental game has caught up to the stuff. After a turbulent first season in New York, Rodón unplugged, reshaped routines, and borrowed the “one log at a time” rhythm from the organization’s model starters. In October, the best pitchers don’t just miss bats; they set a pace that settles everyone else. The Yankees need that cadence after a weekend that spun too fast.
He’ll also drag a few matchup advantages into this start. Toronto’s right-handed power core has to deal with a lefty who now changes eye levels and speeds more often. The slider’s whiff clip (40.3% chase/whiff component this year) has punished over-eager swings. The sinker gives him a quick ground-ball lever when he’s ahead; and the changeup has become a true third weapon rather than a show pitch. When Rodón gets to two strikes, he has three different doors to close an at-bat.
What The Yankees Need Behind Him
Survive the first trip through. That’s the immediate goal. If Rodón buys the offense 12 to 15 outs without damage, the game tightens, and the stadium does the rest. From there, the Yankees need clean defense and zero free bases—no extra outs, no leadoff walks. Rodón’s 2025 walk rate (7.6%) and first-strike approach make that a realistic expectation. However, the infield must finish plays, and the outfield must cut off singles before they become doubles.
The lineup can help by forcing Toronto’s starter to labor early. Even a single grinding inning that pushes traffic and pitch count can flip the leverage back toward New York’s side. If Rodón hands a lead to the bullpen, the path to a flight back to Toronto appears. And should the Yankees push this to a Game 4, the narrative changes again: rookie Cam Schlittler waits with fresh legs and a recent eight-inning, 12-strikeout memory that energized the clubhouse.
History won’t win Game 3, but it can inform the stakes. The Yankees have climbed out of darker corners—the 2017 ALDS in Cleveland, the famous Jeter flip in 2001—because one game swung the series’ mood. Tuesday is that swing point. New York doesn’t need three wins at once. It needs one commanding night from Carlos Rodón. If he delivers the pace and the punch he’s shown all year, the Yankees’ season gets at least one more heartbeat.
Red Sox Front Office Faces Tough Decisions After Another Early Playoff Exit: Alex Cora’s Future in Jeopardy
Tension is mounting in Boston after yet another early postseason exit for the Red Sox, and now, big questions loom about the future of manager Alex Cora. Once hailed as the architect of Boston’s 2018 World Series championship run, Cora now finds himself under scrutiny, with multiple executives within the Red Sox front office reportedly questioning whether he is still the right person to lead the team forward.
According to sources close to the situation, the locker room is said to be “fractured and divided,” and with the team’s failure to make significant progress in the postseason, the front office is now considering a major shake-up in the coaching staff as soon as next month. The Red Sox, despite being one of MLB’s most storied franchises, have failed to live up to expectations in recent years, and Cora’s leadership is being called into question as a result.
Cora, who took over as manager in 2018 and led the team to their ninth World Series title, was once seen as the perfect fit for the team—a young, charismatic leader who connected with the players while maintaining a strong focus on analytics and strategy. However, in recent seasons, the team has struggled to achieve consistent success, especially in the postseason. After another disappointing early exit in 2025, questions about the team’s direction have intensified.
The front office’s frustration with Cora stems from the fact that the Red Sox are once again in a position where they fail to capitalize on their talent during the most important time of the season. The team’s lackluster playoff performances, combined with the perceived dysfunction in the clubhouse, have led to a growing sense of urgency among ownership and the front office to make changes.
While Cora has remained adamant in defending his approach, stating that he is “proud of what we’ve built here,” there is a sense that the leash is growing shorter. His critics argue that his ability to maintain a cohesive team culture and get the best out of his players has diminished. Internal reports suggest that a growing divide exists in the clubhouse, with players beginning to lose confidence in Cora’s ability to lead them back to championship contention.
The fanbase, once passionately behind Cora, has grown increasingly vocal in their frustration. After witnessing the highs of 2018, Red Sox fans have become disillusioned with the team’s inability to consistently contend for a title, and many are beginning to wonder if a change at the top is necessary to break the cycle.
As the Red Sox begin to assess their future, the question remains: can Alex Cora regain the trust of his front office and the locker room, or will Boston’s next managerial change mark the end of an era? With a major coaching overhaul potentially on the horizon, the Red Sox front office has tough decisions to make in the coming weeks—decisions that could shape the future of the team for years to come.
For now, the uncertainty surrounding Cora’s future continues to cast a shadow over Fenway Park as the Red Sox prepare for yet another offseason filled with potential changes and high expectations.
