Carlos Rodon throws a gem as Yankees hold off Rays' AL East title to start doubleheader
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Yankees, for the afternoon anyway, kept their slim AL East hopes alive.
Behind one of the best outings by Carlos Rodon in his time in pinstripes and a two-run homer from Cody Bellinger, the Yankees kept the Rays from celebrating the East crown on their homefield with a 2-0 victory at the Stadium in the first game of a split doubleheader.
The Yankees’ task to catch the Rays remains a tall one, trailing by five games with six to play.
A victory by the Rays (95-61) in the nightcap Tuesday would give them the East title, as would a win in either of the two remaining games of the four-game series.
Rodon made it eight straight starts in which he’s allowed two earned runs or fewer, throwing eight scoreless innings and allowing three hits in improving to 7-3 with a 2.67 ERA.
The eight-inning outing was the longest of Rodon’s season.
The 33-year-old struck out eight. The last one -- Jonny DeLuca in the eighth inning -- gave Rodon the 1,500th strikeout of his career.
Entering the day, Rodon had a 2.06 ERA in his previous seven starts.
On this day, Rodon, who at one point retired 10 straight, outpitched Rays righthander Nick Martinez. Martinez, 15-4 with a 2.94 ERA coming into Tuesday, allowed two runs, five hits and a walk over six innings in which he struck out seven.
Martinez retired the first nine Yankees he faced before Ben Rice led off the fourth with a double down the rightfield line. Bellinger followed and, swinging at a first-pitch sinker, blasted it into the seats in right, his 17th homer making it 2-0.
David Bednar pitched a perfect ninth for his 35th save in 39 chances.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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