CHICAGO — Carlos Rodón lost a perfect game with one out in the ninth when he hit Roberto Pérez with a pitch, but he still threw the 20th no-hitter in franchise history in an 8-0 White Sox victory over the Indians Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Asked on the air after the game where his mind was, Rodón was already cracking jokes.
“Uh, on a toe ball,” he said with a laugh. “No, man, that was awesome. Full team effort. I just can’t believe it. I can’t.”
The southpaw struck out seven and needed 114 pitches to complete the masterpiece. Rodón went to five three-ball counts, including José Ramírez in the seventh, when he lined out to left fielder Andrew Vaughn on a 3-1 pitch. That’s when Rodón, who was non-tendered by the White Sox in December before signing a one-year deal in February, knew this could be a special night.
“I had him 3-0 and I went fastball, fastball,” he said. “That 3-1 count, he knew I was throwing a fastball, I knew I was throwing a fastball, you guys probably knew I was throwing a fastball, and someone’s dog in Kentucky knew, too. But when that ball was caught and came off the bat like a hundred and 70 miles an hour, that’s kind of where I started feeling it.”
Josh Naylor came close to reaching leading off the ninth with a slow tapper to first baseman José Abreu, but the reigning American League MVP’s slide barely beat Naylor to the base.
“I wanted him to be careful, not hurt himself,” Rodón said. “That was a hell of a play, man, hell of a play. There were some big plays made at short … I mean, you go through that game, there’s quite a few plays that led to this result.”
The White Sox provided Rodón all the offensive support he needed by scoring six runs in the first against Cleveland starter Zach Plesac, knocking him from the game after two-thirds of an inning. Yermín Mercedes, who had another three-hit game, launched a three-run home run during the opening rally.
Rodón was supposed to start Monday’s game against Cleveland but was scratched with a stomach issue.