NYY @ OAK: Carlos Rodón vs. JP Sears

Yesterday at 08:37 PM

It's a starting pitcher rematch from April on a Saturday night by the bay.

The Yankees are 3-1 so far on their six-game West Coast trip; two of those wins have come in 10 innings, including last night's victory over the Athletics, in which Gerrit Cole pitched nine innings but not a complete game. It was ultimately a win for the Yankee ace, and Carlos Rodón will look to achieve the same result tonight at the Coliseum. Oakland will hand the ball to lefty JP Sears, and if you have a sense of déjà vu looking at the starting pitching matchup, that would be really impressive — how did you remember that these two starters faced each other in the Bronx back on April 22nd?

If you don't remember this game, no worries. There wasn't too much to remember. Both Rodón (7 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K) and Sears (6 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K) pitched brilliantly, but the now-departed Victor González allowed a late home run to Zack Gelof, and that was that. The Yanks were shut out 2-0, as they got their first taste of Mason Miller in the ninth.

Both Rodón and Sears have had up-and-down seasons since that first meeting in April, but Rodón has pitched better of late, with a 2.60 ERA in three September starts. His most recent outing was a perfectly cromulent effort against Boston in which he earned his 15th win of the season on 5.1 innings of two-run ball. Sears has a 4.50 mark in three starts of his own this month, which includes the ignominious honor of losing to the 2024 White Sox his last time out.

More good news for the Yankees on the division front: the Orioles lost 6-4 to the Tigers in 10 innings earlier tonight. That means the magic number for the division can get to three with a win tonight.

Juan Soto is back in the lineup after getting the first nine innings off last night. He bats in his usual No. 2 spot with Aaron Judge behind him. Jon Berti fills in for Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third, as does Jose Trevino for Austin Wells at catcher. Sears has been highly effective against southpaws this year, so it's no surprise that Aaron Boone, who can never resist a good platoon, made those changes tonight (in addition to Oswaldo Cabrera tagging in for Anthony Rizzo at first). Chisholm and Wells are in 9-for-56 (.161) and 7-for-52 (.135) skids at the plate anyway, so perhaps a breather will help them in the long run. Lefty starters have continued to be a trouble spot for this Yankee lineup; they'll look to rise to the occasion against the former Yankee farmhand in Oaktown.

How to watch

Location: Oakland Coliseum – Oakland, CA

First pitch: 9:07 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, NBCSCA

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280

Online stream: MLB.tv (out-of-market)