Perhaps the most memorable play of Carlos Rodón’s historically impressive Giants debut wasn’t one of his 12 strikeouts.
In the top of the fourth inning of a 1-0 ballgame, Miguel Rojas dribbled a grounder between third base and the pitcher’s mound. Rodón tracked it to his right, gloved it and spun toward first in one motion before tossing a leaping throw off his back foot for the putout.
With that same throwing arm, Rodón threw a sweeping fist pump near the Giants’ dugout and let out a rambunctious scream.
“He was electric,” manager Gabe Kapler said of his No. 2 starter. “It was kind of inspiring in the dugout with all the energy and enthusiasm he had delivering each pitch. And how fired up he was when he made that play to his right down the third base line.”
Rodón’s stuff, when he’s healthy, is as nasty as anyone’s. That much was clear Saturday. But the intangible spirit Rodón brings to this club could go just as far as his four-seam fastball that ranked as the most dominant pitch in baseball last year. Even in San Francisco’s 2-1 loss to the Marlins, he established that presence.
Some pitchers may have been satisfied with the performance Rodón put together against Miami. He did, in fact, tie Juan Marichal’s San Francisco-era record for strikeouts in a Giants debut. But Rodón opened his postgame interview with frustration that his new team lost and that two fifth-inning walks cut his afternoon short. He showed the makeup of a gamer.
“He’s just ultra competitive,” rookie catcher Joey Bart said of Rodón.
If Bart and Logan Webb are the Giants’ Battery of the Future, Bart and Rodón form something different. They’re the league’s last battery you’d want to see in a bar fight. They’re two heavyweights in a brawl — throwing haymakers and letting everyone know it.
Though Rodón stands 6-foot-3, 245-pounds and Bart a linebacker-esque 6’2, 230, the intimidation factor goes deeper than just appearance. They play the game with a passion and competitive fire that rubs off.
It started right away in the first inning, when Rodón stunned the top of Miami’s order with 10 straight fastballs. He pumped them into the zone, throwing eight for strikes and inducing four whiffs in the first inning alone, resulting in two quick punchouts. It was almost like he was testing Miami’s manhood with heaters.
The fastball-establishing strategy from Rodón and Bart was clear: we’re going to keep calling it until you can prove you can hit it.
“I felt like I didn’t even need to put a finger down,” Bart said.
But Rodón didn’t completely marry the four-seamer that registered a league-best -26 run value in 2021. Rodón struck out Avisaíl García, his former teammate, with only offspeed pitches to lead off the second inning. He unleashed his curveball and what Bart thinks is the most “disgusting” slider in baseball.
“There’s not a whole he can’t do as a pitcher,” Bart said. “Once he gets confidence and momentum like he was flowing today, I feel pretty bad for whoever’s coming up to the plate.”
As Rodón continued to mix up his arsenal, he kept Marlins hitters guessing. An infield single, error and two balls that skipped away from Bart led to the only earned run of Rodón’s day.
He still turned in one of the most impressive no-decisions ever, becoming one of 10 pitchers ever to strike out at least 12 batters in five or fewer innings.
“There’s the big leagues, and then there’s Rodón,” Bart said. “Rodón’s a different animal.”
In the fifth inning, as his pitch count rose up into the 80s, Rodón walked two batters. But he bore down and got out of it by striking out Garrett Cooper, throwing his punchout high fastball as hard as he had all day.
He walked off the mound for the last time of the day, having struck out 12 batters in five innings, with a primal yell and a fist-pump Giants fans can start getting used to.
“I love it,” Bart said of Rodón’s demeanor. “That’s how I grew up playing. I kind of think the same way as him. When you come up through the levels, everyone tells you to relax a little bit. I’m all about it. I’m all about the competitiveness. It’s what makes the game great…If you don’t want it and you don’t love it, then it’s probably not for you.”
Rodón’s hooting and hollering might not rub opposing teams in the best way. He’s aware of that possibility, but not too worried about it. He’s a competitor over all. Intense enough to contribute to this Giants club’s identity.
“It’s always good to pitch with emotion,” Rodón said postgame. “I don’t like showing up the other team. Sometimes I get a little extra fired up and I want to back off sometimes. But the goal is to go out there and win. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what the other team wins. And part of it is firing up my own teammates.”