BALTIMORE — Carlos Rodon returned to a major league mound Tuesday night with more than his own comeback riding on every inning. The Yankees needed stability from a rotation that had just lost Max Fried to the injured list, and they needed clean defense behind a pitcher who had not started for New York since June 28. For four innings at Camden Yards, the veteran left-hander got both.
The New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 in a game that demanded precision. Trent Grisham supplied all three New York runs, first with a solo homer in the third inning and later with a two-run single in the seventh. Official game data credited Yerry De los Santos with the win after two scoreless innings, Shane Baz with the loss, and David Bednar with his 28th save after a perfect ninth.
Rodon’s line mattered as much as the result. Activated from the 15-day injured list earlier Tuesday, he allowed one run on two hits over four innings. He walked two, struck out four and threw 39 of 66 pitches for strikes. MLB’s official statistics now list him at 4-2 with a 3.22 ERA, 56 strikeouts and a 1.23 WHIP over 50 1/3 innings in 10 starts.
But the play that stayed with Rodon did not come on one of his four strikeouts. It came in the fourth inning, with the score tied 1-1, when Christian Encarnacion-Strand sent a ground ball into the left-side hole. George Lombard Jr. ranged deep to his right, secured the ball on a backhand and fired across his body to first base in time for the out. In a tight Yankees game, the rookie erased a hit before it could become another problem. The Yankees had already asked Lombard to handle a demanding position under playoff pressure, and the play showed why the club trusted him with the assignment.
Rodon’s reaction becomes the viral moment
Tuesday was Rodon’s first MLB start with Lombard playing shortstop behind him, because Rodon had been sidelined since June 28 and Lombard was not promoted until Aug. 4. That gives the reaction genuine narrative meaning: Rodon had heard about the rookie’s defense, then immediately experienced it himself.
As Lombard turned back toward the infield after completing the play in the fourth, the YES broadcast caught Rodon pointing toward the rookie and appearing to deliver a blunt compliment.
“You’re a bad motherf-ker, man,” Rodon appeared to say.
The exchange quickly drew attention beyond the play itself. It also captured what the Yankees have been seeing since Lombard reached the majors on Aug. 4. The 21-year-old prospect has brought range, arm strength and energy to shortstop while handling meaningful innings in the middle of a postseason race.
Rodon addressed the reaction after the game and focused on the play rather than the language.
Rodon said he was “a fan in the moment.”
The response on social media followed the same theme. One fan framed Rodon’s reaction as a slogan waiting to happen.
“Put that on a t-shirt,” @RichardSerton wrote.
Another fan connected the reaction directly to Lombard’s defense at shortstop.
“this what happens when u witness a real ss,” @chasethasack wrote.
Lombard Jr. keeps making Yankees notice
Lombard’s night went beyond the highlight. He finished 2-for-4 and scored one of the two runs on Grisham’s go-ahead single in the seventh. MLB’s official player page lists him at .293 with a .370 on-base percentage, a .463 slugging percentage and an .833 OPS through 41 at-bats. He has two home runs, three RBIs, eight runs and one stolen base.
The defensive data support the early impression. Baseball Savant lists Lombard with 1 out above average at shortstop through 56 fielding attempts. His success rate stands at 87% against an estimated 86% rate. Statcast also places his sprint speed in the 98th percentile.
MLB Pipeline kept Lombard atop the Yankees’ prospect rankings in its Aug. 14 update. New York selected his contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Aug. 4 and optioned Anthony Volpe the same day, immediately giving the rookie regular work at shortstop.
Manager Aaron Boone has repeatedly highlighted Lombard’s range and athleticism since the call-up. The Yankees had already seen the rookie produce difficult outs in his first two weeks, including a deep backhand against Atlanta and a diving stop against St. Louis. Tuesday’s play carried extra visibility because it happened behind Rodon in the left-hander’s first game back.
Rodon’s return adds weight to the play
The Yankees moved Rodon back into the rotation after Fried went on the injured list with a left elbow bone bruise. The club had considered another minor league rehab appearance after Rodon threw 58 pitches for Double-A Somerset on Aug. 13, but the rotation need changed the plan.
Against Baltimore, Rodon’s fastball reached 96 mph and averaged 94.6 mph, according to MLB’s game tracking. He escaped a bases-loaded threat in the second and allowed Coby Mayo’s tying solo homer in the third. Lombard’s fourth-inning play then helped Rodon finish his return with a clean final frame.
The Yankees bullpen covered the last five innings and allowed two hits. De los Santos worked the fifth and sixth before Bailey Headrick, Fernando Cruz and Paul Blackburn bridged the game to Bednar.
New York improved to 70-55 and remained five games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East after Tuesday’s games.
For Rodon, the larger development was a successful return to the pitching staff. For Lombard, it was another major league play that made a veteran teammate react in real time. The viral reaction lasted only a few seconds, but it became the image attached to a night when the Yankees got exactly what they needed from both of them.
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