On Friday I wrote about how Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón’s right jersey sleeve cuff was rolled up for the first two innings of his Wednesday-night start, resulting in the team’s new advertising patch being obscured. (The sleeve was then unrolled, with the ad fully visible, for the remaining three and two-thirds innings of his start.)
The New York Post followed up on this and asked Rodón about it. Rodón claimed (or at least feigned) ignorance. Quoting from the Post’s report:
“I had no idea until you brought that up,” Rodon told a reporter Friday before the Yankees opened a series at Camden Yards.
“I didn’t even know that the patch was covered.”
[…]
The sleeves “might just come up [as I’m pitching],” said Rodon.
The first-year Yankees starter said the club has not approached him about ensuring the patch is visible.
Give Rodón credit for taking what is probably the wisest route here, but his account stretches credulity. Sleeve cuffs may occasionally ride up a little, but they don’t become fully folded over like Rodón’s were unless someone intentionally orients them that way. Take a few more looks at his right sleeve from Thursday night:
I ask you: Does that look like something that “might just come up” on its own?
As I noted in Friday’s post, I couldn’t find any previous examples of Rodón’s sleeve ever being rolled up, and the Wednesday game just happened to be his first start after the ad patch was added to the team’s uniform.
Draw your own conclusions.
(My thanks to Phil for bringing the New York Post follow-up item to my attention.)
“I ask you: Does that look like something that “might just come up” on its own?“
Actually, yes. Looking closely at pics 4 and 5 above, it appears the patch may have “flipped” up, taking the sleeve with it. The sleeve isn’t “rolled” up like it appears at a glance. The cuff is still visible at the end of the sleeve.
My observation exactly. None of the pictures show a rolled up sleeve, but rather one where a patch (that may be extremely stiff if newly applied and never laundered) caused the sleeve to catch.
Agreed. It looks like the ad is just flipped.
The patch itself caused the roll up and catch.
I think the still stiff ad patch bothered him so he rolled up the sleeve without thinking about the ad. Not as a statement (which I initially thought he made and would love to witness) but as an instinct. When told about it in the dugout he rolled it down again. I do not think that any MLB player with an ad on his sleeve is thinking about the patch during a game unless it itches or stings.
This may be the most likely suggestion yet. I made the point before that it might have been a stretch to say he was championing the anti-patch sentiment. Honestly, I would love it if true, but was skeptical. I thought immediately about tennis players, who I have seen pull up one sleeve before serving, and have noticed them do it to both their serving arm and non-serving arm. It’s like a comfort thing. Didn’t know if there was something seen in his pre-pitch motions, rituals. I also thought about it just sort of curling up on its own, perhaps, again, as a result of something he does before pitching.
That man is a hero. Bravo, Carlos.
We need more Rodon Roll…..
I think the sleeve just folded like that on its own.
Too bad more ads don’t hide themselves.
In the heat of the moment, instinct took over when the irritating ad patch on his stiff sleeve proved too bothersome to ignore. Without considering the optics, he rolled up his sleeve for relief from the abrasive promotional blot. This impulse came naturally in-game, not as an intentional stand against the intrusive ads. Once informed of the impression it made, he rolled his sleeve back down out of obligation. Ballplayers have enough to think about during games without distracting uniforms annoying them. In that split-second decision to roll up his sleeve, instinct overcame promotion – a relatable moment showing players are human first, billboards second.