The Yankees stayed alive Tuesday night with their comeback win, but not because of their starting pitching. 

They’ve played three games against the Blue Jays in the ALDS and got terrible performances out of the rotation in all of them after Carlos Rodón’s dud in a 9-6 Game 3 win in The Bronx. 

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After Luis Gil and Max Fried failed to last more than three innings in the first two games, Rodón delivered perhaps the biggest clunker of the series, knocked out after just 2 ¹/₃ innings having allowed six runs in a must-win game. 

But the Yankees offense, which began to show signs of life against Toronto’s bullpen in a Game 2 loss, took advantage of shoddy Blue Jay defense and then teed off on the pen again to bail out Rodón, with five Yankees relievers covering 6 ²/₃ scoreless innings. 

“All year since we’ve played them, the miss is just not really there,” Rodón said of not being able to put away Toronto hitters. “They put some swings on them. Obviously, I made some pitches that could have been way better. They force the issue and make us play defense.” 

Heading into the series, the Yankees were considered to have more depth in the rotation, with Toronto seemingly needing to go with a bullpen game if it went to a Game 4. 

But Gil was outdueled by Kevin Gausman in the opener and Fried gave up seven runs in three-plus innings in Game 2, with Toronto rookie Trey Yesavage keeping the Yankees hitless into the sixth. 

Rodón struggled from the start on Tuesday, giving up a two-run homer to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with one out in the first after Guerrero came into the game 10-for-17 against the left-hander in his career. 

Rodón escaped trouble in the second, but in the third, he allowed a leadoff double to Davis Schneider, walked Guerrero intentionally and then a one-out single to Daulton Varsho that scored Schneider when the Yankees botched the relay. 

Ernie Clement added an RBI single before Anthony Santander ended Rodón’s night with a two-run single to right to put the Yankees in a 6-1 hole. 

Fernando Cruz entered and got pinch-hitter Addison Barger swinging and Andrés Giménez on a groundout to end the inning. 

Cruz was the first of five Yankee relievers who kept the Blue Jays at bay as the Yankees roared back with huge homers from Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. to knock off Toronto and force a Game 4 on Wednesday at the Stadium. 

“For the offense to scratch back and pick me up to get the win was impressive,” Rodón said.