Luis Severino Returns From Lengthy Absence as Yankees Complete Three-Game Sweep of Reds
It’s safe to say the New York Yankees have turned a corner from their early-season woes, which were spearheaded by a rapid string of injuries.
As multiple regulars have returned from the injured list, New York has embarked on a successful run that’s propelled them out of the AL East’s basement. In doing so, they now find themselves positioned third nearly two months into the 2023 campaign.
First, it was splitting a four-game series with the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays last week. Then came a pivotal four-game set north of the border versus the Toronto Blue Jays, a stretch that featured plenty of drama and emotion but saw the Yankees win three out of four.
The team then hit the road for Cincinnati, beginning a three-game series against the rebuilding Reds this past weekend. After taking the first two contests, they received even more positive injury news as right-hander Luis Severino made his highly-anticipated return from a right lat strain.
Severino, who hadn’t played all season after suffering the injury during spring training, made two rehab appearances before Sunday’s finale – one at double-A Somerset and the other at triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
While the 29-year-old has yet to be fully stretched out, the next step of his recovery timeline continued in the majors, tossing 75 pitches across 4.2 innings against the Reds lineup. He didn’t qualify for the victory but allowed just one run on four hits and one walk while striking out five.
Thanks to 4.1 scoreless innings from the bullpen, New York secured a three-game sweep over Cincinnati with a 4-1 victory on Sunday, extending their winning streak to four games.
“I felt really good,” Severino said post-game. “I felt like I was attacking the zone after the first walk. Everything else was right there. I felt good. I was saving something for the end.”
“I was disappointed. But we got the win. That’s the most important thing.”
Severino walked the first batter – Jonathan India – of his outing on four pitches before coming back and striking out Matt McLain and getting Jake Fraley to flyout. Things went off the rails when Spencer Steer popped up to Jake Bauers, who fumbled the ball, leading to a controversial review.
The play was initially ruled a foul ball. Following a successful challenge from the Reds, though, the call was overturned as Steer was awarded a double and India home, issuing Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone wasn’t pleased with the replay review’s decision and sought a further explanation from the umpiring crew, who ejected him for arguing a call that went to replay. But none of this confusion bothered Severino, who retired the next batter to end the inning.
From there, the 6-foot-2 righty set down 10 of the final 13 hitters he faced, inducing his fourth and fifth punchouts before reaching his pitch count in the fifth after Luke Maile’s single. Still, his first big-league start since last October is one he can build off.
“Sevy was great. To almost go a full five innings there was big,” Boone said. “I thought he kept getting better. I thought his misses were good misses. He finished the day emptying the tanks, so he had a little extra juice at the end of his outing.”
A few innings after Severino departed, Reds manager David Bell was also ejected from the game in the eighth after claiming Wandy Peralta was quick-pitching, marking the first game this season where both team’s managers were thrown out.
It was an eventful seven-game road trip for the Yankees, albeit one where they went 6-1, and now return to the Bronx for a six-game homestand, starting Tuesday with three against the Baltimore Orioles and three versus the San Diego Padres.
For a starting rotation without Carlos Rodón, Frankie Montas and Domingo German – who received a 10-game suspension last week for allegedly using an illegal substance – the Yankees have high hopes for Severino moving forward. Most importantly, though, they need him to avoid further IL stints.
But it will be just as crucial for the two-time All-Star to continue to look like the pitcher who earned a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts last season rather than the one that missed two months due to a similar lat injury.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Matt Boulton. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.