The New York Yankees’ already formidable starting rotation added a significant left arm on Sunday with Carlos Rodón making his first start of the 2026 MLB season.
Unfortunately, it was a season debut to forget for the 12-year veteran. Rodón only gave up two hits in 4 1/3 innings, but allowed three runs with five walks in a 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
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Brice Turang’s home run off a first-pitch curveball from David Bednar in the ninth inning gave Milwaukee its second walk-off win against the Yankees in two days. The Brewers also won 4-3 on Saturday in 10 innings on a sacrifice fly by William Contreras.
Rodon, 33, missed the first month of the season while recovering from surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow performed in October.
The Yankees gave him a lead early on with Aaron Judge hitting his 16th home run of the season in the first inning, followed by a Spencer Jones RBI single to score José Caballero in the second.
However, Rodón loaded the bases in the fourth, walking Contreras and Gary Sánchez, then hitting Andrew Vaughn with a pitch. Luis Rengifo hit into a force out to provide the Yankees a chance to escape the inning without much damage.
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But Garrett Mitchell followed with a sacrifice fly to score Milwaukee’s first run and Rodón threw a wild pitch to advance runners to second and third. Blake Perkins then drove Rengifo and Vaughn in with a single to center field for a 3-2 lead.
Rodón came out to pitch the fifth inning but after walking Contreras on four pitches — all out of the strike zone — he was replaced by Jake Bird. The left-hander finished with 80 pitches, 43 thrown for strikes.
The Yankees tied the score at 3-3 in the sixth inning on an RBI double from Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Going into Sunday’s game, the Yankees led MLB with a 3.10 team ERA and a 3.01 ERA among the team’s starting pitchers. Max Fried (2.91 ERA) and Cam Schlittler (1.35) have provided a formidable top two for the Yankees’ rotation after their first nine starts.
