Elvin Rodriguez, a rookie pitcher for the Tigers, tipped his pitches during a game against the Yankees, and the Yankees picked up on it in the second inning. The tell was subtle but clear—whether Rodriguez looked toward third base while in the stretch. If he looked, it was a fastball. If not, it was off-speed. Once the Yankees figured it out, they adjusted their approach and punished him. They started with bunts and patient at-bats, waiting for confirmation on pitch type. Matt Carpenter laid down a perfect bunt to get on base, setting things in motion. Isiah Kiner-Falefa followed with a hit after correctly identifying an off-speed pitch. Jose Trevino fouled off sliders and waited for a middle-in mistake, eventually driving a triple to center.
By the fifth, the Yankees were fully locked in. Judge saw a fastball coming from the head movement and lined a single. Rizzo did the same and hit a home run. When bases cleared and Rodriguez went back to the windup, he got a couple of outs. But once runners were back on, the tipping returned. Carpenter, having bunted earlier, stayed patient until he saw the fastball cue again and crushed it for a homer. All told, the Yankees strung together a double, triple, single, and two homers once they cracked the tell. Rodriguez’s pitches had life, but the giveaway from the stretch turned a solid start into a disaster. The Yankees weren’t just hitting—they were using the pitcher’s own habits against him.