NEW YORK — Luis Severino doffed his cap as he walked off the mound at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, soaking in a standing ovation from a crowd of Yankees fans after 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the Nationals.
When he reached the dugout, a look of relief and pure joy on his face, the right-hander turned to his teammates and chuckled.
“He said, ‘it’s been a while,’” Aaron Judge said after the 9-1 win. “He was just happy that he was able to put out a good performance there for the fans and do his thing.”
It had been two months since Severino’s last scoreless start, a six-inning gem against the Rangers on June 24. At that point, Severino was trying to emerge from what seemed like a rough stretch, making jokes about returning to his old 2017 form while distancing himself from the injury that forced him to sit for the first six weeks of the season.
If only he knew what was coming next and how poorly the majority of his walk year would go.
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From his next start in St. Louis until his outing last week in Atlanta, Severino posted an 11.08 ERA across 31 2/3 innings. He wasn’t fooling any hitters with lifeless stuff and erratic command, getting rocked every five days. Severino didn’t just call himself the worst pitcher in baseball … he legitimately was the league’s worst starter.
More importantly, Severino was one of the gaping holes on the hull of a sinking ship. The Yankees needed the right-hander who was seeking to prove he’s worthy of a multi-year deal in free agency this offseason. Instead of picking up the slack, he failed all summer long.
“It’s been a long time trying to find ways to be out there and help the team get some wins,” Severino said on Wednesday. “Tonight was one of those nights, so I was really happy.”
Severino held Washington to one hit, walking two batters while striking out two more. His stuff didn’t have as much electricity as it did last time out against…
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