(TSX / STATS) — NEW YORK — A year ago, Luis Severino was on the disabled list and when he pitched as a starter, he hardly looked like the prospect capable of dominating hitters.
And he certainly did not look capable or confident enough to throw a full-count changeup for a strikeout in a key situation.
On Wednesday, Severino looked dominant and confident as he tied a career high by pitching eight innings and led the New York Yankees to a 3-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
“It feels good,” said Severino, who injured his triceps May 13, 2016, and was 0-8 as a starting pitcher last season. “It feels good to help the team win with a good outing like this.”
Severino (3-2) combined with Dellin Betances on a four-hitter as a Yankees starter allowed two earned runs or fewer for the fifth time in six games. He retired the first nine hitters, 14 of the first 15, pitched eight innings for the second time in his career and also pitched at least seven for the fifth time this season.
The right-hander’s outing also was the first by a Yankee starting pitcher to last at least seven innings since Masahiro Tanaka completed seven May 8 in Cincinnati in a 10-4 victory that followed an 18-inning win at Wrigley Field.
“That was really good,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We needed it from Sevy. He pitched deep into the game for us and did a great job.”
He also saved his best pitches for critical moments.
The first key spot was with Alcides Escobar on first in the fourth in a 1-0 game and Eric Hosmer up with two outs. Hosmer got ahead in the count 3-0 but Severino reached a full count and ended the at-bat with a called strike three on his changeup.
“No, no way,” Severino said when asked whether he would have thrown the 3-2 changeup last season.
“I think he started to feel better in spring training with it,” Girardi said. “I’m not so sure that he ever really felt comfortable with it last year.”
Two innings later, he reached 99 mph on an inning-ending strikeout of Lorenzo Cain with a runner on first in a 1-0 game. He protected a 2-0 lead by starting an inning-ending double play against Jorge Bonifacio and ended his career-high 114-pitch outing by getting Escobar on a fly ball to deep right.
“It was really tough to face him,” Cain said. “He was lights out tonight, pretty much unhittable.”
Escobar would have been Severino’s last hitter regardless of the result. Instead of needing Betances for four outs, they only needed him in the ninth and he struck out the side for his fourth save.
“I thought it was unbelievable,” Betances said. “It was fun to watch and to sit there let him do work for eight innings.”
Severino’s brilliant outing actually began with a crash and an injury. On the first pitch of the game, Escobar lifted a fly ball over center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury’s head.
Ellsbury tracked the ball but crashed into the wall face-first. He initially stayed in the game but was removed after the bottom of the first and the Yankees said he had a concussion and a neck strain.
“He talked about like he felt it was his neck that was bothering him a little bit, nothing to do with his head,” Girardi said. “It was more like a whiplash.”
Afterward, the club said Ellsbury was going on the seven-day concussion disabled list, though they still acknowledged the significance of the catch.
“II think it’s big,” Girardi said. “Escobar’s extremely aggressive in early in the count. He made a play. That’s a double or a triple and it can set the tone.”
Severino had a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Didi Gregorius homered off Jason Hammel (1-6). The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the sixth when Gary Sanchez singled, stole second, reached third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Holliday.
New York scored its final run in the seventh when Gregorius doubled, took third on a groundout and scored on Brett Gardner’s single up the middle through a drawn-in infield.
Hammel allowed three runs and six hits in six-plus innings but being unable to do much off Severino led to Kansas City losing for the sixth time in nine games. The Royals were blanked for the fifth time this season and had one at-bat with runners in scoring position after hitting four homers in Tuesday’s 6-2 victory.
“He really commanded the count, commanded his pitch count, really good fastballs,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of Severino. “He threw fastball, slider to righties. Fastball, slider, changeups to lefties. He just threw a great game.”
NOTES: The Royals placed RHP Nate Karns on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, with an extensor strain and irritation in his right forearm. … RHP Miguel Almonte will make his first career start Thursday afternoon in place of Karns. … New York 1B Greg Bird (bruised right ankle) said he continued to feel good after continuing his baseball activities. He will take Thursday off, go through live batting practice Friday and Saturday and could appear in rehab games sometime next week. … The Yankees said LHP Aroldis Chapman (rotator cuff inflammation) could start a throwing program Saturday.
Photo credit – Kathy Willens / Associated Press / New York, NY