New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon acknowledged he was more mad at himself than a jeering New York fan when he blew a kiss during a rough outing in Wednesday’s 7-3 loss at the Los Angeles Angels.
“I guess it was the best reaction I could give,” Rodon explained following the defeat, as shared by Garrett Stepien of SNY. “But better not to give a reaction, I guess. But just one of those things — I was frustrated, and better to blow a kiss or not do anything at all. So just a frustrating outing, that’s for sure, and I showed it there in the second early.”
Rodon signed a six-year, $162M contract to join the Yankees this past offseason, but things largely haven’t gone how either party envisioned this year. The 30-year-old dealt with forearm and back issues that ultimately prevented him from making his official club debut until earlier this month, and he’s thus far gone 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA.
Like the spectator on Wednesday, Rodon understands his performances haven’t matched the value of his deal.
“I didn’t really pay mind to what exactly was said, but a fan was angry — as they should be,” he continued during his postgame comments. “I’m angry, too. I was angry at myself and blew a kiss, unfortunately.”
In fairness to Rodon, he wasn’t the only member of the Yankees to lose his cool on Wednesday. As noted by Christian Arnold of the New York Post, Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle allowed a run in the bottom of the eighth inning and then took his frustrations out on a different kind of fan: