Carlos Rodon wants to be a better poker player.
Because in his first playoff start at Yankee Stadium last week, in Game 2 of the ALDS, everyone knew Rodon was holding pocket aces early before folding in the fourth inning.
The left-hander came out firing in an electric first inning by striking out the side, flush with an emphatic reaction after each out as he leaned into the raucous crowd.
But by the fourth, it quickly unraveled for him and knocked him out of the game.
So in his preparation for starting Game 1 of the ALCS against the Guardians on Monday night in The Bronx, Rodon watched Gerrit Cole intently on Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium.
He wanted to see how the Yankees ace handled all of the emotions that come with starting a playoff game, and this one even included the benches clearing in the same inning that Cole gave up a run. But it proved to be the only run Cole gave up across seven innings thanks in part to how he maintained his composure.
Rodon watched as Cole did not outwardly react to much and walked back to the dugout “like a robot” for most of the night, until letting out a roar when he recorded the final out of the seventh inning, knowing his job was done.
“Gerrit is a good poker player,” Rodon said with a grin Sunday afternoon. “Me, not so much. I need to be better at poker.”
Doing so could be key in helping the Yankees get off to a strong start in the ALCS as they try to reach their first World Series since 2009.
After some internal debate, the club on Sunday tabbed Rodon as their Game 1 starter over Clarke Schmidt, deciding to keep their rotation in order instead of having Schmidt leapfrog Rodon, which would have had Rodon pitching on nine days of rest for Game 3 instead of six for Game 1 (Cole is set to come back to start Game 2 on normal rest).
“[Rodon] is a really good pitcher,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees worked out Sunday at the Stadium. “For him struggling there and getting knocked out in his last outing in the fourth, also feel like came out throwing the ball really well in his first big experience. Hopefully it’s something he can take from that outing that allows him to really break through and have that outing we know he’s capable of.”
While the Guardians hit left-handers better than righties, the biggest threat to unnerve Rodon on Monday may be himself.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:
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- Anthony Volpe embracing Yankees’ World Series expectations: ‘The standard’
- What led to wild Yankees-Royals benches-clearing melee: ‘Sore loser’
- Aaron Judge’s bat rounding into form with ALCS on tap
On Sunday, the $162 million lefty thought back to the fourth inning of his ALDS start against the Royals to pinpoint where it all went off the rails.
He knew Salvador Perez was leading off and the right-handed hitter had strong career numbers against him. The Yankees were leading 1-0 but Rodon left a 2-0 slider over the middle of the plate that Perez crushed for a home run.
“It kind of brought me out of focus just a tick,” Rodon said.
The Royals pounced on the opportunity and jumped on Rodon’s slider for three singles that all came around to score. Before he knew it, Rodon was out of the game after just 3 ²/₃ innings.
“It’s kind of one of those things when I look back, just knowing to keep that focus and I guess channel that energy a little bit better so the focus stays on the field,” Rodon said.
A day before his ALDS start, Rodon talked about wanting to feed off the energy of the crowd but also being able to harness his emotions when needed. Some things are easier said than done.
“When you’re in this environment — obviously he lives by the emotion that he pitches with,” pitching coach Matt Blake said Sunday. “It’s a strength of his, but it can also be a weakness of his at times. Trying to be as levelheaded and neutral as possible goes a long way. I think Gerrit’s as good as anybody at that. It’s obviously a testament to Carlos’ progression to recognize how Gerrit goes about it and continue to evolve.”