Ex-Giant Rodon who called SF fans soft gets into it with Yankees fans

July 20, 2023
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Back in February, after Carlos Rodon had left San Francisco for New York in free agency, he took a parting shot at Bay Area fans.

“The fans here want to win. They care. They care a lot,” he told NJ.com, drawing a contrast to the fan base he had just departed. “Giants fans are invested, but not like in New York. Win or lose, you’re not going to get booed in San Francisco.”

That energy lasted for all of three starts.

Rodon — whose Yankees debut was delayed for months by arm and back problems — has been terrible in the first three outings of his six-year, $162 million contract, surrendering 12 runs in 14 innings. Rodon was tremendous in his lone year in the Bay, going 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA for the Giants and leading the league in several major categories.

His anger at his slow start boiled over on Wednesday night, when he blew a kiss at booing Yankees fans. (Hilariously, the incident happened in California, where the last-place Yankees were getting swept by the Angels.)

“I guess it was the best reaction I could give,” Rodon said, according to 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.” He added that the fans were right to be angry, and he was “angry at myself.”

Rodon's wife Ashley, a power Twitter user, freely admitted that her husband's pitching was “ass” and that he’ll “own it.” Ironically, Rodon himself predicted how these things can spiral in the same interview in which he called Giants fans soft. Referring to the infamous 2005 incident when then-Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson shoved a cameraman, Rodon said, "The only thing people can remember is him not making a good first impression."

Rodon is a bit less taciturn than Johnson and has plenty of time to endear himself. It's hard to see him going down the same pit as, say, Joey Gallo. But judging by Thursday morning's tabloids, he's starting in an 0-1 count. Meanwhile, the Giants are just a game and a half behind the Dodgers, without a single boobird in earshot.

Source: SFGATE