ANAHEIM, Calif. – Before that $218 million Max Fried contract, the Yankees invested $162 million in another free agent lefty wingman to ace Gerrit Cole.
Unlike Fried’s runaway success through 11 starts with his new team in 2025, Carlos Rodon’s pinstriped debut season was a toxic mix of injury and underperformance.
And one of those memorable lowlights came right here at Angel Stadium.
Hearing it from a pro-Yankee crowd on a rough July afternoon in 2023, Rodon blew a kiss to a taunting fan seated near the visiting dugout.
“I was frustrated,’’ Rodon said afterward. “I showed it.’’
That version of Rodon has largely faded from view, as evidenced again during the Yankees’ 3-2 victory against the Angels on Tuesday night.
Back in the closer’s spot, if only for a cameo, Devin Williams stumbled in the ninth but still registered the final out.
That preserved Rodon’s sharp outing – seven shutout innings, 10 strikeouts, zero walks – which followed the veteran starter’s strong 2025 trend.
“I just have a good understanding of what I want to do out there,’’ said Rodon, whose increased confidence and a more diverse pitch mix has led to a 7-3 record and 2.60 ERA through May.
Devin Williams holds on, Yankees win another series
Solo homers by Ben Rice and Oswald Peraza contributed to a 3-0 Yanks’ lead in the ninth, on a night when Luke Weaver was unavailable due to a recent heavy workload.
That put Williams in a ninth inning save situation for the first time since April 25, when he lost his closer’s role after the Toronto Blue Jays tagged him for three runs.
On Tuesday night, Williams yielded two runs and faced the tying run on first base with two out.
Yerry de los Santos was warming up in the Yanks’ bullpen when pinch-hitter Logan O’Hoppe swung at a 3-0 fastball and fouled out to end it.
“I didn’t think he’d be swinging there,’’ said Williams, who had been scored upon just once in his 11 previous outings during a solid run as a setup reliever.
But in Tuesday’s ninth, Yoan Moncada led off by smashing a 1-1 changeup – Williams’ signature pitch -over the center field wall.
Taylor Ward singled sharply, Travis d’Arnaud flied out to the center field warning track, and Luis Rengifo singled, quieting the crowd’s heavy Yankee contingent.
“I was kind of battling myself a little bit, they were jumping on me early a few times there,’’ said Williams. “But got the job done.’’
That required some defensive help, as second baseman DJ LeMahieu held the bag on Jo Adell’s RBI force out, corralling Anthony Volpe’s throw from deep shortstop.
“I wasn’t positive,’’ said LeMahieu, but the Yanks survived the replay challenge – and a little more.
“At the end of the day, we won. That’s all that matters,’’ said Williams, as the AL East-leading Yanks (34-20) won their seventh straight series, with one more game here against the Angels (25-29).
Yankees thriving at the one-third mark
“The ninth is a different animal,’’ Rodon said, praising Williams’ perseverance, and providing another insight to a club that’s “in a good head space’’ these days.
At the season’s one-third mark, questions about how the Yanks would replace Juan Soto in the lineup, or overcome Cole’s loss to Tommy John surgery, have been answered with a seven-game divisional lead.
And it wasn’t easy over the first three innings, when Rodon yielded four of his five hits Tuesday.
That’s when Rodon really used the strikeout to his advantage, working around a Travis d’Arnaud leadoff double in the second and stranding two runners in the third.
On a night when Aaron Judge was a relatively quiet 1-for-4, the Yanks showed their superiority in other ways – including defensively.
Where Angels center fielder Matthew Lugo whiffed on a Cody Bellinger fly ball, leading to a run in the sixth, the Yanks’ defense stepped up – including Rodon.
“A lefty Derek Jeter play,’’ said LeMahieu, giving Volpe an assist on describing Rodon’s scoop and off-balance throw to nail Adell at first base to end the fourth.
“I’ll probably feel that tomorrow,’’ said Rodon, who effectively mixed cutters, sinkers and changeups into his fastball-slider arsenal.
But half of Rodon’s strikeouts Tuesday were on sliders, a pitch that “was as good as I’ve seen it,’’ said LeMahieu.
“You think about Gerrit going down in spring training and who’s going to step up,’’ said LeMahieu. “It’s a pretty good rotation now.’’