Carlos Rodón made his long-awaited 2026 season debut for the New York Yankees on Sunday, but the day ended in heartbreak as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep with a walk-off home run—their second in as many days.
The game started promisingly enough for the Yankees. Before Rodón could even take the mound, Aaron Judge gave him an early cushion with an opposite-field solo home run in the top of the first inning off Brewers starter Logan Henderson. It was Judge's American League-leading 16th homer of the season and his seventh in the first inning alone—a testament to the kind of hot start that has made him the early favorite for MVP.
Rodón accepted the lead gratefully and kept Milwaukee scoreless for the first three innings, though early control issues hinted at trouble ahead. Those issues came to a head in the fourth inning when Rodón walked the first two batters and then hit a batter to load the bases. He nearly escaped with just one run allowed after a force out at home and a sacrifice fly, but a wild pitch followed by a Blake Perkins single—the Brewers' first hit of the game—drove in two runs and put Milwaukee ahead 3-2.
The timing was brutal. Rodón had allowed just one hit all afternoon, but that single turned the game on its head. He was pulled with one out in the fifth after issuing his fifth walk, giving way to reliever Jake Bird, who struck out the next two batters to limit the damage. Rodón's final line: 4.1 innings, 2 hits, 3 earned runs, 5 walks, and 4 strikeouts on 78 pitches (42 strikes).
The Yankees tied the game in the sixth inning when Jazz Chisholm Jr. ripped an RBI double, scoring Cody Bellinger, who had walked and advanced from first. The inning could have been bigger, but Judge was caught stealing after drawing a walk—a costly baserunning mistake in a tight game.
From there, the bullpen trio of Jake Bird, Paul Blackburn, Fernando Cruz, and Tim Hill kept Milwaukee off the board, sending the game to the bottom of the ninth still tied at 3-3. That's when the Brewers struck again, delivering a walk-off home run that silenced the Yankee dugout and completed the sweep.
For Yankees fans, it was a frustrating end to what had been a promising start. Rodón's debut showed flashes of his ace potential, but the control issues and unfortunate timing of that first hit proved costly. With Judge continuing to rake and the offense showing life, the Bombers will look to bounce back as they head to their next series, hoping to leave the sweep—and the walk-off heartbreak—behind them.