After a very disappointing series against the LA Angels, the New York Yankees rebounded quickly to take the first game of their doubleheader against the Texas Rangers on Saturday afternoon. It was a breezy 8-0 victory thanks to some good pitching and a promising showing from the offense.

Who would’ve thought it was Nathan Eovaldi being victimized in this one, since he’s usually a guy getting the best of the Bombers, as fans have come to learn over the years. But the right-hander lasted just three innings in the Rangers’ loss.

All the highlights were on the Yankees’ side. Austin Wells went 2-for-5 with four RBI. Aaron Judge got on base four times. Jazz Chisholm hit another home run. Great times.

Carlos Rodón’s performance might’ve taken the cake, though. He went 5 2/3 scoreless and allowed just three hits. He issued five walks, which is obviously a bit of a concern, but perhaps home plate umpire Adam Hamari was to blame for some of those with his strike zone.

Or, at least, that’s how Rodón felt after this interaction with Hamari in the top of the third. Rodón walked three batters in the first three innings and clearly took issue with the strike zone. Usually, fans aren’t thrilled with Yankees players chirping at the umps, but many appreciated Rodón’s fire (and ability to reason) here.

Carlos Rodón going at umpire and tossing gem highlight Yankees win

Hamari was willing to give Rodón a lane to make an argument, and then quickly shut it down. Rodón backed off, but he got his words in and then managed to go 2 2/3 more innings before the game was turned over to the bullpen.

Perhaps most notable is Rodón’s recent revival. He was plagued by first-inning woes for a brief stretch — and those numbers have severely impacted his 2024 body of work — but he’s now second in the American League (only behind Corbin Burnes) in starts allowing three or fewer earned runs. Rodón has 19 and Burnes has 21.

With the way fans have talked about Rodón over the last six weeks, you would’ve never guessed he was putting together an All-Star-caliber campaign.

This is the guy fans have been begging for, and he’ll be needed for the postseason. Rodón’s dealt with a lot of adversity since joining the Bombers and it’s certainly encouraging that he bounced back in an impactful manner after his awful stretch from June 15 – July 14.

The Yanks have another doubleheader on Saturday, but thankfully they won’t have rainy conditions affecting their performance. Next up is Gerrit Cole vs Cody Bradford. A Saturday sweep is certainly on the table, and winning that first one was massive since the Yankees were seemingly a bit outmatched.