Rodóns paying gift of parenthood forward

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Every five days or so, the lights come on and Carlos Rodón walks to a mound in the Bronx or elsewhere around the league, where he fires furious fastballs and knee-buckling sliders past the best hitters the world has to offer.

The cameras and crowds are not usually focused on the person who makes those moments possible. Her name is Ashley Rodón, and as Mother’s Day approaches, the Yankees’ left-hander would like the world to understand what she means to their family.

“Without Ashley, this train does not keep going,” Rodón said. “It would be a trainwreck if Dad had to take care of three kids and play baseball; it’d be quite the sight. That goes for all the guys in here, with their mothers and wives. It would be hard to do this, especially with kids. We’re definitely very grateful.

“Ashley does everything that’s non-baseball related, and a lot that is baseball-related as well. She’s obviously my biggest fan, but also a No. 1 Mom for sure.”

Each Major League season consists of a grueling 162-game schedule, plus nearly two months of Spring Training and -- if a team is fortunate and successful -- a lengthy postseason run that can stretch past Halloween.

Last year, while most families were shopping for costumes and stocking up on bulk candy, Rodón was preparing his body and mind for a World Series debut, drawing a Game 2 assignment against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Stakes don’t get much higher than that, and throughout it all, Ashley continued to serve as an anchor for the couple’s three children, Willow, Bo and baby Silo.

“She’s packing up the house wherever we go, taking care of three kids, figuring out what they’re going to eat,” Rodón said. “She keeps me in order, too. Most of the time, she picks out what I’m going to wear, because I’m like a little kid at times. She’s my stylist, for sure.

“Everything’s in order, between where we’re going to live and where the kids are going to school, all of the logistics. She’s really the brains of the operation, and I just go out here and throw a baseball. If there’s a sick kid and I’ve got to pitch, guess who is on the hook at 3 a.m.? It’s Ashley.”

• How MLB celebrates Mother's Day

In 2024, the Rodóns launched the Carlos Rodón Foundation, a project that grew from their shared personal anguish. After two miscarriages preceding Willow’s birth, Ashley wanted to turn their story into something that could help others.

Now, the Willow Grant -- a collaboration between Rodón’s foundation and the Connecticut-based Nest Egg Foundation -- offers necessary funding assistance to couples seeking in vitro fertilization treatment.

They’re also advocates for underprivileged children through their Wild Wanderers initiative, which encourages families to put down electronic devices and enjoy the outdoors together with activities like fishing charters.

The Rodóns practice what they preach. Their oldest son, Bo, now participates in a Greenwich, Conn., T-ball league, where he is teammates with Gerrit Cole’s son, Caden. When the Yankees are in action, Carlos gets frequent updates from Ashley, who gamely takes on the tasks of tying little cleats and providing postgame snacks.

“The first 30 minutes, they hit off the tee; they’re just kind of learning, ‘Hey, this is first base, this is second base,’” Rodón said. “They’re taking ground balls, and then they play one inning where the whole team gets to hit. They love it. Bo loves baseball, and you can tell Caden is just infatuated with anything Yankees.”

Rodón’s increasing comfort has been evident this season, happily putting a trying first season in pinstripes further into the rearview mirror. Rodón challenged himself to remain healthy and take the ball for each assigned start in 2024, posting a 16-9 record and 3.96 ERA across 32 regular-season outings.

With a 2.96 ERA across his first eight starts this year, Rodón’s performances have provided a stabilizing presence for the rotation. They pale in comparison to what Ashley handles at home, where in the pitcher’s view, she pitches a perfect game each morning and night.

“We’re very blessed,” Rodón said. “She’s willing to sacrifice all of her time for her children, and even me as well. She puts everything into those kids, and she’s such a great mother. But I don’t love my wife just for being a mother. I love her as a person.”