“What’s up, man? What just happened?”
“What’s up, man? What just happened?”
White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodón threw the game of his life on Wednesday night, no-hitting Cleveland on a chilly night on the South Side of Chicago. Only a hit batsman, with one out in the ninth, stood between him and a perfect game.
It was the highlight thus far of what has been a trying career for the third pick in the 2014 draft. Rodón’s unfortunate injury history includes spraining his wrist after falling in the dugout and a May 2019 Tommy John surgery. (He is now the first pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter within two years of his Tommy John surgery.) Even when healthy, he didn’t pitch like a former No. 3 pick. After running up a 4.14 ERA in his first six years in the bigs and appearing in just 11 games over the past two seasons, the White Sox brought him back on a one-year deal this season.
Perhaps it’s not a surprise, then, that Rodón appeared to be in disbelief in his interview shortly after the final out. Rodón joined NBC Sports Chicago broadcasters Jason Benetti and Steve Stone and started the interview off on a high note: “What’s up, man? What just happened?”
He had a few more great lines, too. He said that everyone knew he was throwing a fastball to José Ramírez in the seventh, even “someone’s dog in Kentucky.” As Rodón saw a teammate approach with a cooler for an ice bath, he said, “That’s gonna be cold,” and proceeded to catch a few ice cubes in his hand and munch on them.
It was remarkable how chill Rodón was after the biggest moment of his career. And he was so personable, too. It’s tough to watch that interview and not feel happy for the guy for overcoming so many obstacles along the way.
Rodón’s interview later in the night on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt is also worth checking out, although it lacks the stunned, spur-of-the-moment feel of his immediate reaction with Benetti and Stone.
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