Carlos Rodon pitched six-plus stellar innings as the host New York Yankees matched the best 12-game start in team history with a 3-2 victory over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.
Alex Verdugo hit his first Yankee Stadium homer for New York, Giancarlo Stanton added an RBI double and Juan Soto chipped in a run-scoring single as the Yankees improved to 10-2. New York equaled the 12-game starts by the team in 2003, 1949 and 1922.
Rodon (1-0) earned his fourth overall win as a Yankee after going a disappointing 3-8 last season. He produced two encouraging outings on the season-opening road trip through Houston and Arizona but failed to get a decision. The left-hander allowed two unearned runs, four hits, struck out six, walked two and threw 89 pitches.
Verdugo gave the Yankees the lead by hitting a 1-0 pitch from Miami’s A.J. Puk (0-3) into the right field seats for his second homer of the season. Stanton made it 2-0 with a double in the fifth and Soto singled in the sixth for a three-run lead.
Miami lost its second straight after snapping a season-opening nine-game losing streak. The Marlins are off to their second 1-11 start in team history and became the first MLB team to open with at least 11 losses in 12 games since the 2010 Baltimore Orioles.
Puk allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits with five walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Rodon opened the game by walking Luis Arraez but got three quick outs. After allowing a single to Tim Anderson, he got two strikeouts in the second.
In the fourth, Rodon allowed a double to Jazz Chisholm Jr., who stole third but retired Anderson. After allowing a base hit to Avisail Garcia, Rodon got a double play and needed one more pitch to end the fifth.
Rodon exited to a nice hand from the crowd after Chisholm reached on first baseman Anthony Rizzo’s error and Anderson’s infield single loaded the bases. Ian Hamilton allowed an RBI groundout to pinch hitter Jesus Sanchez and a sacrifice fly to pinch hitter Nick Gordon.
Hamilton pitched a scoreless eighth and Clay Holmes tossed a perfect ninth for his fifth save.