Carlos Rodón delivered the kind of outing the Yankees hope to see when the postseason arrives Friday night — and the timing could not have been better.
Despite dealing with elbow trouble for much of the season, the Yankees left-hander overpowered the Mets in a 6-4 victory in The Bronx, turning in what may have been his strongest start of the year.
Rodón worked a season-high 6 ¹/₃ innings, giving up two runs — only one of them earned — while matching his season best with eight strikeouts.
“I thought he threw the heck out of the ball,’’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Sporting an FDNY cap as the Yankees marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Rodón said it was “an honor to be able to pitch” on an especially emotional evening.
Rodón had not surrendered more than two runs in an outing since returning from elbow inflammation, but he had struggled to pitch deep into games before Friday.
With the Yankees seeking dependable options for an October rotation, Rodón looked every bit like a postseason-caliber starter against a Mets offense that has heated up in recent weeks.
A leadoff walk to Mark Vientos in the second inning proved costly, as Vientos eventually came home after a Spencer Jones error in center field helped extend the rally.
After Marcus Semien’s one-out single in the second contributed to an unearned run, Rodón settled in dramatically. He retired 15 of the next 16 Mets he faced before Carson Benge singled with one out in the seventh, ending the left-hander’s night.
Rodón had reached 93 pitches, and the Yankees have yet to allow him to cross the 100-pitch threshold this season.
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So Paul Blackburn entered and struggled and a run-scoring single by A.J. Ewing knocked in Benge for the only other run permitted by Rodón.
Still, the Yankees will take this kind of performance from Rodón, who didn’t make his season debut until May following offseason elbow surgery.
Rodón hit the IL again in late June and missed over a month, dealing with elbow inflammation.
Since his return, Rodón entered Friday having allowed just five earned runs in four starts, but he’d pitched just 17 ²/₃ innings.
His previous outing in San Diego had been Rodón’s most effective, as the left-hander struck out seven and gave up just one run and a pair of hits- but he walked three in five innings.
On Friday, Rodón allowed only one walk, and it was to Vientos.
“He had better strike-throwing,’’ Boone said of Friday’s start. “He’s been really effective [and] really limiting hits, but walks have hurt him and his ability to get deep in games.”
If Friday was any indication, Rodón could be moving past that and as long as he stays healthy, should be a key factor down the stretch and into the playoffs.
“He’s been in a good place throughout the year when he’s healthy,’’ Boone said.