It was another forgettable game for the Yankees on Sunday. While their bats were shut out, the pitching led by Luis Severino blew the game out early. Still, the pitcher felt ‘happy’ as he escaped through a low bar and Boone believed to see him progressing at Truist Park.
On Tuesday night, the right-handed pitcher, despite not clinching a victory or lasting beyond the fifth inning, displayed an improvement compared to his recent performances. Given Luis Severino’s challenging year, Luis Severino experienced a sense of relief and Aaron Boone was found to be content with this level of performance while the Yankees nation went berserk criticizing both.
Luis Severino is happy
The Yankees starter knew that it was a below-par performance that the team didn’t need right now. However, Luis Severino expressed his satisfaction with his performance and mentioned that he felt a sense of improvement despite allowing five runs (three of which were earned) during his four-inning appearance in the Yankees’ 5-0 defeat to the Braves. He highlighted the considerable number of swings and misses he generated, a factor he hadn’t experienced in a while. Luis Severino acknowledged the strength of the Braves as the top team in the league and found encouragement in witnessing their batters miss his fastball and cutter during the game.
“I feel happy the way I felt on the mound, the way I competed. I feel like I’m improving,” Luis Severino told after the game. “A lot of swings and misses. I haven’t done that in a long time. This is a great team, this is the best team in the league right now. So just seeing them swing and miss at my fastball and my cutter tonight, it was good to see.”
Luis Severino’s performance was marred by the impact of home runs – a three-run blast by Marcell Ozuna in the opening inning and a two-run homer by Ronald Acuña Jr. in the fourth.
The Yankees right-hander, however, remained confident in the quality of his pitches. He managed to secure five strikeouts and induce 12 swings that failed to connect.
This marked his highest tally of missed swings since a July 17 matchup against the Angels, during which he achieved 13 whiffs out of 53 swings. Notably, Luis Severino’s fastball exhibited impressive speed, averaging 97.9 mph – the fastest velocity he’s showcased this season. Intriguingly, his ERA saw a slight decrease from 8.06 to 7.98.
Initially, it appeared that Luis Severino might navigate through the first inning unscathed. Nonetheless, after issuing a two-out walk to Matt Olson in the opening frame, he delivered a slider that was tailor-made for the situation, only for Ozuna to capitalize and deposit it beyond the center-field fence. Regrettably, this proved to be his most regrettable pitch of the night, contributing to his ongoing struggles in the first inning.
Boone’s restrained encouragement
Following that initial hiccup, Yankees manager Aaron Boone remarked that Luis Severino’s subsequent pitching displayed notable improvement. Boone mentioned that he observed an impressive level of pitch quality, describing it as one of the best performances he has witnessed. He noted the vitality and conviction behind Severino’s pitches, emphasizing that although the statistical outcome wasn’t favorable, it was a significant step forward in terms of Luis Severino’s overall performance.
“After that, I thought he threw the ball well. It’s as good of stuff as I’ve seen,” he said. “I thought the life was there. It just felt like [he was pitching] with more conviction. … Not a good line, but I think that was a much better Sevy than we’ve seen.”
In his recent four starts, Luis Severino has surrendered a total of 16 runs in the first inning, and during the past 13 occasions he has been on the mound, the Yankees have secured only three victories.
Nevertheless, Luis Severino regarded this outing as a positive development. He adopted a new approach by focusing less on his previous challenges and instead concentrating on a more aggressive mindset. The Yankees pitcher exhibited greater confidence in his pitching repertoire, placing trust in his abilities and relinquishing concerns about selecting the perfect pitch.
Luis Severino mentioned that his approach revolved around concentrating on his authentic self and disregarding statistics or the optimal pitch for each batter. He expressed that his performance was a reflection of his genuine style, characterized by a determined competitive spirit.
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Luis severino is happy??? Now we have mental issues on the team as well as physical injuries