There’s a heartbeat to baseball nights like this — the kind that make your palms sweat and your heart race.
The kind where every pitch feels like a breath held too long, and every swing crackles with electric possibility.
In Los Angeles on Tuesday night, the New York Yankees delivered that brand of unforgettable drama — and survived it, barely.
It ended 3-2 in their favor, the second straight win over the Angels, and their fourth in a row overall.
But oh, the road to that final out wasn’t smooth. It was Carlos Rodon’s serenity and Devin Williams’ chaos.
Rodon paints a masterpiece on the mound
Carlos Rodon didn’t just pitch — he performed. Seven scoreless innings, five hits, no walks, and ten strikeouts.
He was a silent assassin on the mound, slicing through the Angels’ lineup with icy calm and overpowering stuff.
It’s hard to overstate how remarkable his turnaround has been. Just weeks ago, his ERA hovered over five.
Now, after Tuesday’s gem, it sits at a sterling 2.60 — a testament to grit, talent, and the magic of adjustments.
Watching him work was like witnessing a sculptor chip away until only brilliance remained — pure pitching poetry.
Rodon’s rhythm set the tone early, stifling any hope for the Angels while giving the Yankees’ offense time to click.
Young bats make their mark in key moments
The Yankees didn’t need a scoring explosion — just timely thunder. And that’s exactly what Ben Rice and Oswald Peraza delivered.
Rice, the emerging slugger, mashed his 11th home run of the year in the fourth inning, a shot with authority and purpose.
It was a veteran’s swing from a young man already earning trust and carving a place in this powerful lineup.
Three innings later, Oswald Peraza — still fighting for consistent playing time — found his own moment of redemption.
His seventh-inning home run was more than just a run; it was a message that he still belongs in this crowded infield.
Sandwiched between the bombs was Anthony Volpe’s clutch sixth-inning RBI single, a line-drive laser that scored Bellinger.
This wasn’t a barrage. It was efficiency. Precision. Three runs, perfectly spaced, just enough to hold off a furious charge.
Devin Williams flirts with disaster in the ninth
Then came the ninth inning — the baseball equivalent of a haunted house ride you didn’t sign up for but couldn’t escape.
Devin Williams, stepping in for the unavailable Luke Weaver, had a three-run cushion and a job to finish.
Instead, he gave the Angels life — a solo homer to Yoan Moncada, followed by two more hits and a growing sense of panic.
It felt like watching someone juggle glass — impressive, terrifying, and on the verge of shattering at any second.
With the tying run on base and hearts in throats, Williams finally coaxed a foul pop-up from Logan O’Hoppe.
Peraza squeezed it tight, and the Yankees exhaled as one — their lead intact, the win preserved, just barely.
Despite the scare, Williams’ recent track record suggests this was a rare misstep, not a sign of unraveling.
Yankees are catching fire at the perfect time
This win makes it eight out of nine for the Yankees — a stretch of baseball that feels both dominant and destined.
At 34-20, they now hold a firm grip on the AL East, with their pitching hitting stride and their young bats surging.
Rodon looks every bit the ace they imagined when they signed him, and Rice is becoming appointment television.
There’s swagger in this team again — not just talent, but belief. The kind that wins in October, not just May.
The drama in the ninth? That’s part of the ride. Every contender has scars. The Yankees are learning to win with theirs.
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