NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Rodón wants to be more like Gerrit Cole when he starts the AL Championship Series opener for the New York Yankees against Cleveland on Monday night.
After getting knocked out in the fourth inning of his Division Series start against Kansas City, Rodón paid close attention to his teammate's outing in Thursday's clincher.
Click to Gallery
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón speaks during a news conference ahead of an American League Championship series baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón speaks during a news conference ahead of an American League Championship series baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón speaks during a news conference ahead of an American League Championship series baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón reacts as he walks off the field during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series against the Kansas City Royals, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón (55) reacts after striking out the batter during the first inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series against the Kansas City Royals, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
“Gerrit's a good poker player. Me, not so much,” Rodón said Sunday. “I need to be better at poker.”
Cole pitched shutout ball into the sixth, allowed Vinnie Pasquantino's RBI double that cut the Yankees' lead to two runs, then retired Salvador Perez on a popup. He pitched seven innings in New York's series-clinching 3-1 win.
“He didn’t react every inning,” Rodón said. “If you watched him come out, it’s just like a robot walking to the dugout. Then at the end of the seventh, it’s a big roar because he knows like ‘I did my job.’”
Cole starts Game 2 on Tuesday, followed by Clarke Schmidt in Game 3 at Cleveland on Thursday and rookie Luis Gil the following day in Game 4.
“It was really kind of choosing between Clarke and Carlos,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday. “It just felt like it was close, and I feel like this kind of keeps them on rhythm as much as possible without giving one guy a huge, long layoff.”
The Guardians, who defeated the Tigers in Game 5 of their Division Series on Saturday, are going with Alex Cobb in Game 1. Cobb gave up two runs and three hits in three innings in his Game 3 start against Detroit, his first appearance since Sept. 1.
Rodón's fastball averaged 97 mph against the Royals, 1.6 mph above his season average, and he struck out the side in the first. He led 1-0 until Perez's leadoff home run in the fourth sparked a four-run inning. Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia hit RBI singles that chased the 31-year-old left-hander in a 4-2 loss.
“Usually I start off fairly tame velo-wise and then work my way up to the higher numbers later into the game. I wouldn’t say that’s a reason of why it kind of unraveled for me,” Rodón said. “There’s some times for some better composure, and I think it could help some energy levels for sure.”
A two-time All-Star and 10-year veteran, Rodón doesn't mind displays of emotion on the field.
“If you want to act a certain way, sure, go about it your way," he said. "If you hit a homer off me 900 feet or however far, you want to flip your bat, flip your bat. You did something good. This game's hard. It’s not easy. So a little celebration is fine.”
Rodón rebounded to a 16-9 record with a 3.96 ERA over 172 innings in 32 starts in his second season with the Yankees after signing a $162 million, six-year contract. He was 3-8 with a career-worst 6.85 ERA over 14 outings in a 2023 season that didn’t start until July 7 because of a strained left forearm and back stiffness.
“He’s in a really good spot, throwing the ball well,” Boone said. “Hopefully going through his first playoff game here in the Bronx and experience all the emotions that you do, hopefully there’s something that serves him well in this next time.”
Rodón's wife, Ashley, said she received online harassment following his defeat.
“It's not the first time nor will it be the last time,” the pitcher said. “I think Ashley and I spoke about it that night, and she said, and I quote, she said, ‘I have thick skin, so I’m going to be OK.’ And she does. She’s a tough lady, my wife, very tough, probably tougher than I am. For me, on my phone, I have accounts, but I do not have social media on my phone."
Boone said it was possible first baseman Anthony Rizzo could be added to the roster, but no decision had been made. Rizzo has been sidelined since fracturing a pair of fingers when hit by a pitch on Sept. 28.
“He did a lot more yesterday and did pretty well, but I want to see more today,” Boone said before the workout. “There's a chance.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón speaks during a news conference ahead of an American League Championship series baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón speaks during a news conference ahead of an American League Championship series baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón speaks during a news conference ahead of an American League Championship series baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón reacts as he walks off the field during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series against the Kansas City Royals, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón (55) reacts after striking out the batter during the first inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series against the Kansas City Royals, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon said Israeli tanks “forcibly entered” one of its positions on Sunday, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded it leave the area.
International criticism is growing after Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on U.N. peacekeepers since the start of its ground operation in Lebanon. Five peacekeepers have been wounded in attacks that struck their positions in recent days, most of them blamed on Israeli forces.
As Israel escalates its ground invasion against Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, the 10,000-strong peacekeeping force is increasingly in the crosshairs.
Relations have worsened between Israel and the United Nations over the way Israel has conducted its war in Gaza. In an unprecedented move, Israel earlier this month said the U.N. secretary-general was persona non grata in Israel.
On Sunday, Netanyahu called for UNIFIL to heed Israel’s warnings to evacuate, accusing them of “providing a human shield” to Hezbollah.
Here’s a look at the U.N. force and the latest developments:
The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon was created in 1978 to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops after Israel invaded and occupied southern Lebanon. Israel invaded again in 1982, and it wasn't until 2000 that it withdrew.
In the absence of an agreed-upon border, the U.N. drew up a boundary between Lebanon and Israel known as the Blue Line, which UNIFIL monitors and patrols.
The United Nations expanded UNIFIL’s mission following the monthlong 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border to monitor the cessation of hostilities and patrol a buffer zone along the border.
The force currently has around 10,000 peacekeepers in southern Lebanon drawn from around 50 countries. They patrol, monitor and report violations of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 fighting. The force also provides support to local communities.
Tensions have been mounting since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon earlier this month. Israel asked UNIFIL to move its personnel further north, and the peacekeeping force refused.
On Thursday, UNIFIL said an Israeli tank “directly” fired on its headquarters in the town of Naqoura, knocking down an observation tower and injuring two Indonesian peacekeepers. It said its headquarters and nearby positions “have been repeatedly hit” and Israel “deliberately” fired on and disabled the headquarters’ monitoring cameras.
On Friday, UNIFIL said new explosions hit its headquarters, injuring two peacekeepers, although it did not directly blame Israel. It also said an Israeli army bulldozer hit the perimeter of another position in southern Lebanon while Israeli tanks moved nearby.
On Saturday, UNIFIL said its headquarters in Naqoura was hit again, with a peacekeeper struck by gunfire late Friday and in stable condition. It wasn’t clear who fired.
On Sunday, UNIFIL said two Israeli tanks broke into a base and later fired smoke rounds near peacekeepers there. It said 15 U.N. peacekeepers had skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions. The Israeli troops stayed for 45 minutes, putting the mission in danger, the statement said.
The Israeli army has expressed deep concern over Thursday's incident and said it is conducting a thorough review at the highest levels of command. On Friday, it said its soldiers were responding with fire to an immediate threat against them. It didn't respond to questions Saturday.
On Sunday, Israel’s military said a tank trying to evacuate wounded soldiers backed into a U.N. post while under fire. It said a smoke screen was used to provide cover.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, asserted that Israel has only aimed at Hezbollah, and said Israel has tried to maintain constant contact with UNIFIL.
The military has asserted that Hezbollah operates in the vicinity of the peacekeepers, without providing evidence.
“We regret the injury to the UNIFIL soldiers, and we are doing everything in our power to prevent this injury," Netanyahu said Sunday. "But the simple and obvious way to ensure this is simply to get them out of the danger zone,” he added in a video addressed to the U.N. secretary-general.
Israel has long accused the United Nations of being biased against it, and relations have plunged further since the start of the war in Gaza.
On Sunday, Israel's military showed The Associated Press what it said was a pair of tunnel entrances and a small arms cache used by Hezbollah a few hundred meters (yards) from UNIFIL watchtowers along the border. Brig. Gen. Yiftach Nurkin said it should have been visible to UNIFIL.
The entrances were also within sight of an Israeli military outpost on the border. The entire AP visit was under military escort.
Israel's demands for the peacekeepers to evacuate the border area and move north would effectively impede the force from doing its mission.
The U.N. peacekeeping chief, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that UNIFIL wouldn't evacuate its personnel, but because of air and ground attacks it can't conduct patrols.
He said UNIFIL operations have virtually come to a halt since late September, when Israel expanded its campaign against Hezbollah. He added that the security environment has also challenged the resupply of fuel, food and water for U.N. positions.
Lacroix later said 300 peacekeepers in front-line positions had been temporarily moved to larger bases. He said UNIFIL had decided to reduce its footprint “at the most affected U.N. positions by 25%.” On Oct. 3, he told reporters that in some places in southern Lebanon, the number of peacekeepers had been reduced by about 20%.
Associated Press writer Sam McNeil in southern Lebanon contributed.
Israeli soldiers display to the media what they say is Hezbollah gear found during their ground operation in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil)
Israeli soldiers display what they say is an entrance to a Hezbollah tunnel found during their ground operation in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil)
Israeli soldiers are seen during a ground operation in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil)
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto meets the media during a press conference about the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, in Rome Thursday Oct. 10 2024. (Mauro Scrobogna/LaPresse via AP)
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, center, General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, left, and General Giovanni Maria Iannucci meet the media during a press conference about the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, in Rome Thursday Oct. 10 2024. (Mauro Scrobogna/LaPresse via AP)
FILE - UN peacekeepers hold their flag, as they observe Israeli excavators attempt to destroy tunnels built by Hezbollah, near the southern Lebanese-Israeli border village of Mays al-Jabal, Lebanon, Dec. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
