Luis Severino Will Start for Yankees in Wild-Card Game

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Luis Severino struggled after the All-Star break, but has won his last two starts.CreditCreditJason Szenes/EPA, via Shutterstock

By Billy Witz

Oct. 2, 2018

Aaron Boone, it seems, might have spent his first six months as Yankees manager in a hammock. His team, despite a few blips and bumps — and a lengthy absence from Aaron Judge — cruised to 100 wins, which even if it was not enough to keep pace with Boston was the Yankees’ highest total since they last won the World Series in 2009.

The most consequential decision Boone appears to have had on his plate was what color pen to use in filling out the lineup card.

Then came Tuesday.

With the Yankees preparing to face the Oakland Athletics in the American League wild-card playoff on Wednesday, Boone selected as his starting pitcher Luis Severino over J.A. Happ and Masahiro Tanaka.

Boone’s pick, after consultations with General Manager Brian Cashman, the pitching coach Larry Rothschild and the scouting and analytics department was arrived at on Sunday, after a night’s sleep that Boone did not say was restless or not.

It was not as unconventional as the Athletics’ choice to use reliever Liam Hendricks as their opener, and after one inning let the bullpen go from there. But it was at least as bold.

A few months ago, at the All-Star break, say, the only pitchers the Yankees might have chosen over Severino to start a win-or-go-home game would be Chris Sale, Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer. But that Severino — the one who outdueled Verlander with a complete-game shutout and carried a 14-2 record and 2.12 earned run average into the All-Star break — has barely been seen since.

The signs he has shown lately of coming around — pitching effectively if not dominantly in his last three starts by riding his slider and changeup — were enough for the Yankees to look past quite a bit.

There was the 11-start stretch in which Severino had a 6.73 E.R.A. There was the disastrous start he had last year in the wild-card playoff, when he recorded only one out against Minnesota. And, perhaps most ominously, there was his last start against Oakland.

That came less than a month ago, on Sept. 5, when he lasted only two and two-thirds innings, his shortest start of the season.

“I guess in a way I’m going with what I believe is Sevy turning the corner,” Boone said. “And what I believe is when he’s pitching at his best, he’ll be the best pitcher on the field tomorrow. I feel like he’s ready for this opportunity and I think he’s very much looking forward to taking the ball.”

Boone repeated on Tuesday that saving Happ for the division series against Boston — when he could pitch in Games 1 and 5 at Fenway Park, where he has thrived over the years — was not a consideration.

“It’s all about tomorrow for us,” Boone said.

Still, there was some compelling evidence to select Happ. He shackled the Athletics the night before Severino came undone against them last month. He allowed only one hit through six innings — a home run by Stephen Piscotty — and faced one batter over the minimum until he departed after Matt Chapman’s leadoff single in the seventh.

Even the Athletics seemed to think they would be facing him.

“If you asked me yesterday, I would have thought it would be Happ,” Athletics outfielder Mark Canha said. “He’s less explosive than Severino, but more precise with his location. But I don’t think these are easy decisions for either manager.”

The A’s, who hit more home runs per at-bat (21.2) and more extra base hits (296) on the road than any other team, are a team that feasts on fastballs. Since the All-Star break, opponents have batted .342 and slugged at .642 against Severino’s fastball. Over that same span, opponents have batted .196 and slugged .405 against Happ’s four-seam fastball, which he throws 65 percent of the time.

Though Severino throws considerably harder, he has struggled with his fastball command — even in his last start, last week at Tampa Bay, when he allowed four doubles, three walks and a hit batter in five innings. Repeatedly, Severino did not hit the target where catcher Gary Sanchez set up, often leaving his fastball up in the strike zone.

“They have a lineup that can hit everywhere,” Severino said of the Athletics. “They can go to right field, go to left field, but I’m looking forward, like I said earlier — command my fastball. If I can get that fastball inside and if that slider is sharp, I think I can get through that lineup.”