Carlos Rodon finds way to keep Mets in check in hard-fought outing

As all eyes were on Juan Soto throughout Friday’s 6-2 win by the Yankees, it was Carlos Rodón who did what he could to keep the Mets in check.

And Rodón did just that, even if it wasn’t all that pretty.

The lefty didn’t have his best command, as he matched a season high with four walks, but three of those were to Soto.

“I was trying to get him to swing and miss every time,’’ Rodón said of his approach against his former teammate. “As he always is, he was real patient. He knows the zone and gets out of there with three walks. I wanted to get him, but he got me.”

Despite that, Rodón pitched well enough to limit the Mets to one run and put the Yankees in position to get a win in The Bronx.

At times during his tenure with the Yankees, this was not a night in which Rodón would have ended up being as effective as he was Friday — something he’s gotten better at since arriving in The Bronx.

“There are days you’ve got to figure out how to get outs when everything’s not on,’’ Rodón said. “Today was one of those days. You’ve got to go out and compete. It’s part of the job.”

Carlos Rodón, who allowed one run in five innings, throws a pitch during the Yankees’ 6-2 Subway Series win over the Mets on May 16, 2025. Corey Sipkin for New York Post

Rodón didn’t allow a hit until Mark Vientos’ flare single to center with one out in the fourth, when he also allowed his lone run over five innings.

The 33-pitch inning included a leadoff walk to Soto, although Rodón challenged him both in the fourth and fifth inning.

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He finished the frame by getting Luisangel Acuña to fly out to right with the bases loaded.

For Rodón, it was an encouraging outing after he allowed four runs in six innings in a loss to the A’s in his previous start.

Carlos Rodon picked up his fifth win of the season in the Yankees’ Subway Series victory over the Mets. Corey Sipkin for New York Post

After compiling an ERA of 5.48 in his first four outings of the season, Rodón has a 1.72 ERA in his last six starts.

And in allowing just a pair of singles on Friday, Rodón has remained one of the toughest pitchers to actually get a hit against.

He’s limited opposing lineups to four hits or fewer nine times this season, the most in the majors.

But the walks he issued forced Rodón to throw 102 pitches in just five innings, which was his shortest start of the season.

He got out of the fifth by whiffing Pete Alonso, which Aaron Boone said likely would have been his last batter, even if he’d reached.

The next challenge for Rodón is avoiding the mid-season swoon he suffered from mid-June to mid-July last season, when he followed a 2.93 ERA in his first 14 starts of the season with a 9.67 mark in his next six.

Rodón eventually settled down and was solid for much of the second half.