Carlos Rodon gave the Dodgers a bit of bulletin board material ahead of Game 2 start

Carlos Rodon is set to make the biggest start of his life on Saturday night, as the New York Yankees take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium. With New York already down 1-0 following a true gut punch of a loss in the opener, the Yankees desperately need to turn the tide — and Rodon now has a chance to cement his legacy with a fan base that hasn't always had the warm and fuzzies about him since he signed that huge contract two offseasons ago.

With so much on the line, you might think that Rodon would be locked in on the task at hand, unwilling to entertain any distractions. But you'd be unfamiliar with Rodon's whole deal: This is a pitcher who's unafraid to mix it up, any time, any place, even on the game's biggest stage. So of course he couldn't help but kick the hornet's nest when speaking to the media ahead of Game 2.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Carlos Rodon claims Yankees have better lineup than the Dodgers ahead of Game 2 start

Rodon was asked about the challenges posed by facing a star-studded Dodgers lineup. But the lefty refused to be overly deferential: While allowing that L.A. "has good hitters", Rodon quickly pivoted his own team, saying: "We're all pretty good ... We're here for a reason, I'm here for a reason. I think our lineup is just as good. I honestly think we're better ... I'm a big leaguer too, I'm supposed to get those guys out."

On the one hand, you have to applaud Rodon here. He is paid handsomely to be every bit the star that he's going to be going up against on Saturday night, and to thrive in exactly these moments. You want your big names to think like this, and to believe that they and their team are going to succeed.

On the other hand ... is it something you have to say out loud, in front of dozens of reporters? This Dodgers lineup hardly needs any extra motivation, and if there's one thing Rodon's learned from this postseason so far, it's that things tend to go better when you let your play do the talking. L.A. has definitely heard what Rodon has to say, and they'll be even more locked in for Game 2. Rodon had better hope he's up to the challenge.