That Escalated Quickly

The FanGraphs Newsletter, October 8, 2024 [READ IN BROWSER]( October 8, 2024 Carlos Rodón was dealing… until he wasn’t. Fired up for his first postseason start as a Yankee, with a sellout crowd of 48,034 cheering him on, the 31-year-old lefty avoided the early pitfalls that had characterized his uneven season by turning in two very strong innings, including a 12-pitch, three-strikeout first. But after the Royals showed they could produce hard contact against him in the third, they chased him from the game with a four-run fourth, starting with a solo shot by his old nemesis, Salvador Perez, and then a trio of hits. While Rodón’s opposite number, Cole Ragans, only lasted four innings himself, the Royals bullpen stymied the Yankees, who collected just two hits across a four-inning stretch before showing signs of life again in the ninth. Their rally died out, and the Royals pulled off a 4-2 win in Monday night’s Game 2, sending the best-of-five series back to Kansas City with the two teams even at one win apiece. [READ MORE]( [Anatomy of a Home Run: Kerry Carpenter vs. Emmanuel Clase]( Breaking down the pivotal matchup in Game 2 of the Tigers-Guardians ALDS. | by Michael Rosen [Behind Skubal and a Carpenter Blast, the Tigers Prevail in a Game 2 Thriller]( A Kerry Carpenter home run off Emmanuel Clase helped Detroit even the series. | by David Laurila [This Weekend Was Wild. I Did the Math To Prove It]( Two of the games this weekend will stick in my memory for a long time, and I can show you just how crazy they were using numbers. | by Ben Clemens [He's Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Boyd]( Matthew Boyd is an unconventional playoff pitcher, and the Guardians are unconventional playoff team. | by Leo Morgenstern [With Jazz, It's All About Tempo]( Everything went in Kansas City’s favor. Well, everything except the call. | by Matt Martell [Tempers Flare in Southern California as the Padres Level the NLDS with Game 2 Win]( Dodgers fans weren't happy, and the Padres took that personally. | by Michael Rosen [... Unless Acted Upon by an Outside Force: Phillies Even NLDS With Classic Win]( Don’t bother hoping. It’ll only hurt more. | by Michael Baumann 🎧 [Effectively Wild Episode 2227: A Triple Short of the Scalpel]( [DOWNLOAD THE FANGRAPHS APP]( [FanGraphs & Effectively Wild Merch Is Now Available at BreakingT!]( [ORDER HERE]( [How ‘Beat L.A.’ became entrenched in the Dodgers-Padres rivalry lexicon]( by Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times [How the Mets and McDonald’s are capitalizing on the ‘Grimace effect’]( by Evan Drellilch, The Athletic ($) [Red Sox, Cuban legend Luis Tiant passes away at 83]( by Ian Browne, MLB [The Unfinished Legend of Aaron Judge]( by Lex Pryor, The Ringer [@fangraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [RSS]( [FORWARD]( [SUBSCRIBE]( Copyright © 2024 FanGraphs Inc, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the FanGraphs Newsletter. Our mailing address is: FanGraphs Inc 3017 N Underwood StArlington, VA 22213 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](