The World Series will start on Friday, and the New York Yankees will be playing in it. It’s the first time they have been able to say that since 2009, and they sure hope the outcome of this Fall Classic is similar to the one they won 15 years ago against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone has already announced Gerrit Cole, his ace, as the starter for Game 1 at Dodger Stadium against Los Angeles. Common sense indicates that Carlos Rodon, who has been solid in the postseason, will take the ball for Game 2. While that remains the most likely scenario, the Yankees might consider making a slight switch and bumping Clarke Schmidt to Game 2.
The Yankees could consider swapping Rodon and Schmidt in Games 2 and 3
While Rodon is a perfectly solid pitcher who has been performing well in October (22 strikeouts in 14.1 frames, 4.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP), the Dodgers were the best team in baseball against left-handers, with a .795 OPS. Their 66 homers against southpaws also topped the league.
This is not to say they are bad against righties, as they finished second vs. pitchers of that hand with a .776 OPS (New York was first at .777), but they punish lefties and the Yankees might want to keep that in mind.
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Schmidt, additionally, was very solid on the road for the Yankees this season. He finished with a 2.85 ERA in the regular season, and his mark on the road was a very good 1.39 as opposed to 4.50 at home.
Rodon, on the other hand, had a 3.11 ERA at home and a 4.69 mark on the road. Swapping them could make sense and give the Yankees a slight competitive advantage in the series.
