Carlos Rodón is a having a very solid season in his second year with the New York Yankees. The Cuban-American lefty has an 11-7 record, 3.34 earned run average and is fifth in the majors with 156 strikeouts. This grand performance earned him his third trip to the All-Star Game over his 11 big league seasons.
Not only did he make the midsummer classic, but also raised the interests of the Cuban Federation for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Rodón, who is of Cuban descent would easily be the country’s top stop starter for the upcoming tournament in Puerto Rico next March.
Over his career in the best baseball in the world the southpaw sports an 86-70 mark, 3.80 ERA and has fanned 1,362 batters over 1221⅓ innings pitched. Before yesterday’s Marlins-Yankees game we caught up with Rodón and conversed about an array of topics.
Carlos before the season, Garrett Cole gets hurt. How did that make you step up?
Yeah, I mean, Garrett, as we know, is more than likely a future Hall of Famer or on that path. And it’s hard to see one of the best pitchers in the game go down, especially when they’re your teammates. So, you know, I think I think everybody kind of stepped up. I mean, obviously Max is throwing the ball well. I’ve been throwing the ball well and we’ve, you know, we’ve throw a lot of innings and just try to keep us in the game. And I mean, it’s, it’s really hard to go to combat when, when an arm goes down like that, it’s hard to, it’s hard to make up.
Your your third All Star game. Tell us about that experience in Atlanta.
It was cool, man. I got to bring the kids on the field. I mean, Bo, my middle son, he really enjoyed it. He’s really into baseball. He’s a big Yankees fan and, you know, loves home runs more of a more of a hitter’s kid than a pitcher’s kid. So he it was just really fun to watch him just be able to be on the field and, and enjoy the homerun Derby, watch jazz and and everyone else at home. So it’s cool.
Sources say that Cuba’s been interested in in you for their WBC team. Has there been any contact?
I actually have not been contacted at all or not that I know of. So I mean, I just have a duty to do for the Yankees. So it’s kind of hard to step away from my team at the moment. So I mean, obviously it would be an honor, but I I would have to to think about it.
Being that you’ve pitched for Team USA, would that would that be your first choice?
I was born in the United States of America. My dad and my parents are, well, my dad is from Cuba and obviously almost all my family was born in Cuba and come from Cuba. I don’t know it would be hard to leave the opportunity to play for the United States on the table just because, you know, I’m American and I mean that in a nice way.
In 2012, you pitched in Havana with United States National Team in a friendship series with Cuba and you pitched against a lot of future big leaguers. Being of Cuban descent, how did you feel taking the mound in the Estadio Latinoamericano?
It was surreal. Obviously I had never been to Cuba before, never been to Havana. It’s a beautiful place. I never in my life, I never thought I’d be able to go to Cuba and let alone play baseball there. You know, I faced Gurriel, I faced Abreu I think, I don’t know if I faced Abreu. I can’t remember how the game as a whole I’d have to go look at the boxscore. But there was you’re right, there was quite a few big leaguers on that team and they were really good. I mean they beat us. I don’t know if they swept us but in Cuba, but they beat us pretty good. I mean it was different than playing baseball here, especially at that age, you know, like you’re not used to such a big stadium and and a crowd like that.