Carlos Rodon pitched through notable injury in Game 2

Feb 22, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) during photo day at George M. Steinbrenner Field Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon struggled in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday, and part of the reason was that he was dealing with a notable physical issue.

Rodon pitched through a finger blister in Game 2 that impacted his breaking ball command, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The issue forced Rodon to rely too much on his fastball, and he wound up giving up three home runs in 3 1/3 innings of work in an eventual 4-2 loss.

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake admitted that Rodon’s slider command was likely impacted by the blister, but anticipated that Rodon would be ready to go in a potential Game 6.

Update: Rodon’s slider command was off, likely due to the blister. But he “seems to be OK” so far to go in Gane 6 (assuming necessary) pitching coach Matt Blake says https://t.co/4HNnFDwBHw

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 28, 2024

According to Baseball Savant, Rodon used his fastball 49.4 percent of the time during the regular season. In Game 2, however, 38 of his 63 pitches were fastballs, or 60.3 percent. That certainly backs up the theory that his offspeed pitches were significantly impacted.

One has to wonder how much the Yankees were aware of Rodon’s blister issue prior to the game. Starting him at Dodger Stadium was already a risky play, but throwing him in that situation while he was also dealing with a blister really wound up backfiring.