Luis Severino will return to familiar ground this Sunday, but for the first time in his career, he’ll do so from the opposing dugout. The longtime Yankees starter is scheduled to face New York in the series finale, starting for the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium. It will mark his first career appearance against the team he called home for nearly a decade—and the first time he’ll pitch to Aaron Judge.
“I’m excited,” Luis Severino said on Friday. “I’m just trying to figure out what to throw to Judge.”
Judge is dominating in 2025
That’s no easy task. After years of slow Aprils, Judge is putting together one of the best starts of his career. Entering the weekend, the Yankees captain leads the majors in nearly every key offensive category. He’s hitting .400 with 12 home runs, 34 RBIs, 34 runs scored, a .491 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage.
“Usually this is the bad part of the season—the first month,” Severino said. “It’s unbelievable what he can do. He’s such a good player. Even when he’s not doing good, he’s always the same person. That’s why he’s one of my favorite teammates. I feel like every year he just gets better. I don’t know how.”
Luis Severino’s Yankees career: highs, lows, and injuries
Luis Severino spent the bulk of his MLB career in pinstripes, pitching for the Yankees from 2015 to 2023. During that time, he made 141 appearances (125 starts), posting a 54–38 record with a 3.79 ERA, 709 strikeouts across 638 innings, and a 1.20 WHIP.
His best seasons came in 2017 and 2018, when he was selected to the All-Star Game in back-to-back years. In 2017, he finished third in AL Cy Young voting with a 14–6 record, a 2.98 ERA, and 230 strikeouts over 193.1 innings. He followed up in 2018 with a 19–8 campaign, a 3.39 ERA, and 220 strikeouts in 191.1 innings.
But injuries took a heavy toll. Luis Severino missed most of 2019 with shoulder and lat issues, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, and continued battling setbacks in the years that followed. He made just 40 starts across his final five seasons in New York. In 2023, his final year with the team, he went 4–8 with a 6.65 ERA in 19 games before an oblique strain ended his season.
Sunday’s matchup brings added intrigue. Last year, while pitching for the Mets, Luis Severino made headlines by saying the Yankees “only have two good hitters,” referring to Judge and then-Padres star Juan Soto. When asked Friday how many quality bats the 2025 Yankees have, Severino avoided the question.
“I haven’t really watched them much,” he said, pointing to the three-hour time difference between the East Coast and Oakland.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone dismissed the comment as typical Severino candor.
“There’s no ill will,” Boone said. “That’s just Sevy. I love the person. I love the competitor. A lot of greatness with us, but obviously a lot of injuries that he had to work his way through.”
Boone praises Severino’s perseverance
Boone, who managed Severino through his ups and downs, praised the right-hander for his resilience through years of adversity.
“What I’m happy for him and proud of him for is his continued dedication,” Boone said. “It’s not easy when you have a series of significant injuries that really cost him a lot of time—and in the prime of his career. I feel like he’s come out of that and done a great job of just learning how to navigate that, learning how to work through that.”
For Severino, Sunday won’t just be another outing. It’s a return to Yankee Stadium, a chance to see old teammates—and a test against the best version of Aaron Judge he’s ever seen.
