Carlos Rodon is done for the year after having Tommy John surgery and it turns out that he was never actually healthy in 2019. Oh and he absolutely hates some White Sox fans.
The left-handed pitcher joined Chuck Garfien in a recent episode of the White Sox Talk Podcast. He didn’t leave anything off the table, expressing his frustration with some fans after revealing that his elbow was hurting since spring training.
Rodon only made seven starts before he was placed on the injured list and eventually had to get Tommy John surgery in May. The lefty said that he experienced pain in his throwing elbow throughout spring training, but that it was manageable, so he didn’t say anything.
It continued to get worse in the regular season, but he pitched through the pain because of his competitive nature. Rodon compared the recent injury to a shoulder issue in 2017, when he said he couldn’t throw at all. So, even though he was feeling pain this year he was still able to throw and that’s why he kept going out there.
But of course the elbow didn’t hold up and Rodon only lasted 3.2 innings against the Orioles on May 1, his final start of 2019. At that point Rodon knew he couldn’t continue pitching with the pain.
That’s also when Rodon got pissed at a White Sox fan who yelled at him when he was coming off the field into the dugout. Garfien brings up that incident in the podcast and Rodon then goes off some White Sox fans.
Rodon specifically talks about an episode of “Beer Money” on NBC Sports Chicago, featuring a White Sox fan who was asked a question about the 2018 team. The fan, obviously hammered, says the team sucked (not false) said they are a garbage team and that they were suicidal.
But Rodon takes it one step further and again he’s not talking about the entire White Sox fan base, but this is still a tough look. Of course no one likes to get booed, but the frustration has built up for the past three years and Rodon has had it with fans who constantly put him down.
“I don’t look for my affirmation from these fans. I’m sorry. I play this game for my teammates. I play this game to win and I play this game for my family…especially if they’re going to act like that.”
-Carlos Rodon
Here’s Rodon’s mini-rant from the White Sox Talk Podcast.
You can listen to the entire interview here.
