Carlos Rodon’s latest gem wasted as Yankees walk off White Sox 2-1

Left-hander Carlos Rodon was every bit as dominant in the White Sox’ 2-1 loss to the Yankees on Friday as on the night he threw his no-hitter.

Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery was great, too, pairing up with Rodon to put on one of the most masterful starting-pitching performances ever.

Rodon, pitching like an All-Star in his dazzling bounce-back season, struck out a career-high 13 in six innings of two-hit ball, exiting after 95 pitches in a scoreless game. The strikeouts were the third-most by a Sox pitcher in a game with no walks behind Chris Sale, who struck out 14 with no walks in 2015 and ’16.

Featuring a fastball that touched 99 mph, a wipeout slider and a well-located changeup, Rodon struck out the first five batters he faced and didn’t let up. The last pitcher to start a game with five strikeouts against the Yankees was Sandy Koufax in the 1963 World Series.

Montgomery struck out 11 in the first game in modern history (since 1900) in which both pitchers struck out 10 or more and allowed no runs or walks. The Sox lost against a lefty starter for only the third time since the start of last season.

After Rodon exited, both teams escaped big jams, the Yankees most notably when Andrew Vaughn hit into an around-the-horn, 5-4-3 triple play with Aroldis Chapman (0.00 ERA) pitching in the ninth inning. The Yankees then walked it off with three consecutive singles against reliever Evan Marshall (0-2, 6.89 ERA), the game-winner by Gleyber Torres. Marshall escaped in the eighth when Luke Voit lined into an inning-ending double play with two runners on after shortstop Tim Anderson threw out Tyler Wade at the plate.

Closer Liam Hendriks had been warming up, but manager Tony La Russa said he was saving him to protect a lead in the ninth or 10th inning.

Torres punched a Michael Kopech fastball over the short porch in right field to break a scoreless tie in the seventh, and after Montgomery pitched seven scoreless innings, the Sox scratched out a run in the eighth on Nick Madrigal’s short bloop to right with two strikes against Jonathan Loaisiga.

“It was a heck of a game,” Rodon said. “That team is good, as are we. And their guy pitched a hell of a game, as well. A triple play, you don’t see that very often.”

Tickets

Single-game tickets for home games from May 24 through June 16 go on sale Saturday. Approvals from the city and state expanded capacity at Guaranteed Rate Field to 60% (approximately 24,300) beginning Monday against the Cardinals.

Single-game tickets will be offered in seating pods with an open seat between pods within the same row. Tickets will be available to the general public at whitesox.com or the Sox’ box office. The box office at Guaranteed Rate Field is open at 9 a.m. on home game days.

Initial giveaway dates are May 24-25 (Change the Game long-sleeve T-shirt), May 28-29 (Anderson bat-flip bobblehead), June 4-5 (Sox Hawaiian shirt), June 9-10 (Sox tote bag) and June 16 (retro Southpaw shirt) for the first 10,000 fans.