Carlos Rodón’s son, Bo, is on a tee-ball team this year. It’s safe to say, the little leaguer’s pre-game ritual is different from the one his father had at his age.
“I played at Tamiami when I was young,” the Yankees pitcher recalled. “We moved from Miami when I was eight, but, you know, I played in that rec league over there, and it was cafecitos—the little shots of Cuban espresso to get the kids fired up for the game.”
Rodón’s father emigrated from Cuba as a boy, and that heritage was a big part of Carlos’ early life in Miami. “I grew up as a Cuban kid,” he said. “Then we moved in 2000 up to North Carolina, and I just grew up a lot different than my Miami roots.”
Now a father himself, his son is growing up in a far different world from Holly Springs, where Carlos spent the later half of his childhood. One of Bo’s suburban Connecticut tee-ball teammates is the son of fellow Yankee Gerrit Cole.
“I still remember some things from back in Miami,” Rodón said. “Pastelitos and everything. Home-cooked meals. Mom would make pollo.”
Rodón’s relocation to North Carolina helped put him on NC State’s radar, where he helped lead the Wolfpack to their first College World Series berth in 45 years.
Three generations of the Rodón family joined Carlos in Atlanta for the 2025 All-Star Game. It was the third All-Star selection for Carlos, who made the team in 2021 with the White Sox and 2022 with the Giants, but it was the first time he actually pitched in the game.
It’s been a rocky road back to the game for him. Following the 2022 season, he signed with New York as a free agent, then battled through an injury-plagued season that saw the fans take out their frustration on the new pitcher not living up to his big contract.
He righted the ship last year, with a 16-9 record, 3.96 ERA and 195 strikeouts, the second most in his career. He’s been even better this season, going 10-6, 3.08 and fanning 135 so far.
“I’m just comfortable,” he said. “Comfortable where I’m at. You know, I have a lot of support from the guys on my team. My goal is to go out there and win as many games as I can, and that’s it. Like, I feel like I owe it to my teammates to give us the best chance to win whenever we go out there and compete.”
That earned him a trip to Atlanta for the Midsummer Classic.
“My family’s here,” he said the day before the game. “My whole family, my three kids, my wife, and then my parents are here as well. So, I mean, it’s a big part of every day for me. Definitely couldn’t do it without my wife and my kids, and I wouldn’t want to do without them. So today, I’m looking forward for my son, Bo, to experience the Home Run Derby. I think he’s gonna love it. So, I don’t think he knows what he’s getting into. I won’t know until he steps on the field.”
While Bo didn’t get a shot of strong Cuban coffee to fire him up, he didn’t appear to lack for energy as he roamed the American League bench.
After the weekend was over, Rodón said the Derby with Bo was the highlight of the experience for him. “The most fun for me it was watching Bo, seeing him enjoy the show, getting to be on the field, watching guys hit homers.”
The next night, when Rodón got the call in the second inning to take the mound for the A.L., Bo almost got to see another homer, courtesy of Dad’s pitching.
After getting Kyle Tucker to ground out and fanning Francisco Lindor, Rodón gave up a double to Pete Crow-Armstrong and then came up and in with a slider to Shohei Ohtani.
The ball came off Ohtani’s bat at 110 mph and rocketed toward the stands. Rodón spun around on the mound to survey the damage, then pointed his arm toward the dugout, signaling that the blast was foul.
“I had to take a little peek at it,” he admitted.
Sure enough, the ball landed outside the foul pole, giving Rodón another shot at Ohtani.
“I gave him five minutes for hooking,” Rodón joked. “He hit it well, but it was foul. So, lucky me. Just a long strike.”
Rodón got Ohtani to ground out to first on the next pitch, finishing off a scoreless inning — his first as an All-Star
“My first one,” he said. “It was fun. I was just trying to enjoy the show, go out there, attack the zone and let them hit it. It worked out well.”
And just maybe, he had a shot of strong coffee before taking the mound.
