The New York Yankees lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night, but they still have a 1.0 game lead in the race for the top seed in the American League playoffs
The New York Yankees fell 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium, one day after officially clinching the American League East. Following the loss, the Yankees’ season record now stands at 93-67.
With two games remaining in the season, the Yankees are one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the top seed in the American League playoffs.
In the loss, Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon pitched 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits. He had four walks and five strikeouts. Rodon will end the regular season at 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA, a significant improvement over his dismal debut year in Pinstripes (2023).
Rodon’s stats are good, but he did contribute to some bad franchise history by allowing a sixth-inning homer. According to Katie Sharp of Stathead:
Yankees with 30+ home runs allowed and 10+ hit batters in a season: Carlos Rodón (2024) Randy Johnson (2005). Javier Vázquez (2004)
Rodon has the ability to dominate any time he takes the mound, but also has the ability to get hit around a bit.
It is unclear how Rodon fits into the Yankees’ postseason rotation at this moment. Gerrit Cole is the obvious choice for any game one, but Rodon or Luis Gil could be viable possibilities in game two.
The Yankees and Pirates will play again on Saturday afternoon, with the first pitch at 1:05 p.m. ET. Paul Skenes, a rookie of the year candidate, will start for Pittsburgh, while Gil will pitch for the Yankees. Skenes is 11-3 with a 1.99 ERA, while Gil is 15-6 with a 3.27.
