Carlos Rodon gets 'dominant' Aaron Boone applause after shutting down Cubs

Jun 24, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have answered a brutal six-game skid with an improbable five-game winning streak. And Carlos Rodon responded to his worst outing of the season – an ugly loss to the New York Mets on July 5 – with his best start of the campaign against the Chicago Cubs Friday.

Rodon shut down a potent Cubs offense in the Yankees’ 11-0 win. He allowed four hits and one walk while striking out eight in eight scoreless innings. Only two runners reached second base against Rodon in a command performance.

And manager Aaron Boone appreciated the veteran starter’s outing. “Just really a dominant performance against a really good offense. So, it was really good to see that,” Boone said of Rodon per SNY Yankees Videos. “I liked that he had a presence, too. Especially with a lot of their righties, getting that fastball in, I think, helped everything else out too,” Boone added.

Carlos Rodon steps up for Yankees in shutout win over Cubs

Carlos Rodon gets 'dominant' Aaron Boone applause after shutting down Cubs — Brad Penner-Imagn Images

While Rodon led the way against Chicago, he had plenty of help. Cody Bellinger had a monster game against his former team. The Yankees center fielder went 3-5 with three home runs and six RBI Friday, reminding fans of his 2019 MVP form.

And Aaron Judge dominated defensively for the Yankees. The reigning MVP added to his highlight reel with three web gems. Judge robbed Pete Crow-Armstrong of a home run, stole a single from Dansby Swanson and saved two runs with a diving catch on a Kyle Tucker liner.

A day after completing an epic Yankees comeback with an extra-inning walk-off RBI against the Seattle Mariners, Judge kept the Cubs off the board with his excellent defensive work.

But in the end, Rodon deserves the credit for delivering against a dangerous Chicago team. He’s now 10-6 with a 3.08 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 2.2 bWAR and 135 strikeouts in 119 2/3 innings over 20 starts. The performance earned him an All-Star Game nod, the third of his career.

“Sharp is the word I would use. Obviously he’s had a really good first half for us… but that was obviously right up there. I thought he was just so efficient,” Boone said after Rodon got through eight innings on 109 pitches.

The Yankees are relying on Rodon and Max Fried more than ever after losing Clarke Schmidt to season-ending Tommy John surgery. The rotation has already lost Gerrit Cole for the year and Luis Gil has yet to pitch in 2025.