Luis Severino, now pitching for the Mets, stirred controversy with comments about his former team, the New York Yankees, ahead of the upcoming Subway Series. Despite not being scheduled to face the Yankees in this series, he took the opportunity to throw shade at the Bombers offense.
The right-hander revealed that he’s part of a group chat with several of his former Yankees teammates. In this chat, Severino claimed that some players have suggested he’s avoiding facing the Yankees, implying he might be afraid to pitch against them.
“We have a group chat of guys. … They talk [trash] about me, they say, ‘Oh, you’re afraid of us,’” he said. “I’m not afraid. Right now, you only have two good hitters. I can walk those two guys. It’s always friendly competition with players I’ve already played with. It’s going to be fun, and hopefully in the future I can face them.”
Severino, who has posted a 6-3 record with a 3.78 ERA this season, addressed these allegations in an interview with SNY TV. He firmly denied any fear of facing his former team, countering that the Yankees currently only have two formidable hitters in their lineup. He suggested that he could simply walk these two batters if needed.
The pitcher characterized the exchanges in the group chat as friendly competition among former teammates, expressing hope that he would have the chance to face the Yankees in the future.
Severino also commented on the Yankees’ struggles against left-handed pitchers this season. He observed that walking Aaron Judge might be a viable strategy, as he sees Judge as the team’s primary threat against left-handed pitching. Severino acknowledged the logic behind the Mets’ decision to start left-handed pitchers against the Yankees, noting that key Yankees batters like Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo are left-handed hitters.
“For some reason the Yankees are not too good against lefties this year,” the ex-Yankee said. “You only have to walk Judge and after that it will be better. But I understand the logic of lefties because you know Soto hits lefty, [Alex] Verdugo hits lefty and Judge is the only right-hander that hits lefties, so I understand the logic.”
These remarks from Severino have added an extra layer of intrigue to the upcoming Subway Series, despite his absence from the pitching rotation for these games.
Yankees’ skipper fires back at Sevy
Aaron Boone, the Yankees manager, responded to Luis Severino’s recent comments about the team’s offensive capabilities with a measured and confident tone. Boone acknowledged that while the team had faced challenges, their overall offensive performance remained strong. He pointed out that the Yankees were leading the league in runs scored, averaging 4.98 runs per game as of Friday.
“We’ll see where the dust settles when we’re all said and done. Add it all up, we’ve taken our lumps at times, but I think we’re at the top of the league in runs scored,” he said. “I saw the way Sevy said it, and it was kind of whatever — Hopefully, we can answer him.”
Boone’s response indicated a willingness to let the team’s performance speak for itself, suggesting that the final results of the season would provide a clearer picture. He expressed hope that the team would be able to address Severino’s remarks through their on-field performance.
Severino, who spent eight seasons with the Yankees from 2015 to 2023 and earned two All-Star selections during that time, is currently in his first season with the Mets. The scheduling of the Subway Series has not aligned with Severino’s rotation, preventing him from facing his former team. In the previous series between the Mets and Yankees in June, Severino had pitched just days before and was not available for the matchup.
The upcoming Subway Series from July 23-24 presented another potential opportunity for Severino to face the Yankees. However, the Mets’ decision to start Severino on July 20 against the Marlins effectively ruled out this possibility.
Despite his comments, Severino emphasized that his exchanges with former teammates were in the spirit of “friendly competition.”
Interestingly, the Yankees’ performance in their 6-1 victory over the Rays on Friday seemed to offer a rebuttal to Severino’s remarks. While Anthony Volpe provided a crucial three-run double, significant offensive contributions still came from Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, the two players Severino had specifically mentioned in his comments.
This on-field response added an intriguing dimension to the ongoing dialogue between Severino and his former team, setting the stage for potential further developments as the season progresses.
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