'Don't celebrate too early': Royals player has some fun with Carlos Rodon after Game 2

For a minute there, it felt like Game 2 of the ALDS might be a legacy-making moment for New York Yankees lefty Carlos Rodon. An object of Yankee fan ire from pretty much the moment he signed that huge contract two winters ago, Rodon had been up and down during the 2024 regular season. But now, in his postseason debut in pinstripes, he could rewrite the narrative for good — and pitch the Yankees to within a game of the ALCS.

You could tell that Rodon understood the stakes, because he came out smoking hot. Not only did he sit down the side on three straight impressive strikeouts in the top of the first, but he gave his teammates and the crowd a little love while he was at it:

There was just one problem, though: Unfortunately, baseball games are typically longer than one inning. Eventually all that adrenaline wore off, and Rodon hit a wall in the fourth, giving up four runs that would be the difference in a 4-2 Yankees loss. And to add insult to injury, the Kansas City Royals remembered all that junk he was talking way back in the first.

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

Maikel Garcia claps back at Carlos Rodon after Royals win Game 2

Leadoff man Maikel Garcia was the first of Rodon's strikeout victims, and he couldn't resist the chance to poke some fun after the Royals had secured the win.

This will no doubt rub some Yankees fans the wrong way, but turnabout is fair play, especially in the postseason. Emotions are running high for everyone, and if you're going to run your mouth when things are going well, you have to be willing to accept the same in return if the script flips. No one should have any problem with Rodon strutting after striking out the side; he was feeling it, and it's clear how much finding success in New York matters to him after how his first two years with the Yankees have gone. But the other team has feelings too, and you can't blame the underdog Royals for relishing a win over the big, bad, billion-dollar Yankees.