2018 was a season full of mixed results for New York Yankees star pitcher Luis Severino and he’s looking to turn that around in 2019.
New York Yankees’ ace Luis Severino knows he has to be better in 2019 for the Yankees to win a championship. In an interview with Newsday’s Erik Boland, Severino expressed his thoughts on an overall disappointing 2018.
Luis Severino on last year and the frustration of the 2nd half: “I had great 1st half and then all that (bad 2nd half) happened. I know the pitcher I am, I know I can go back (to the pitcher of the 1st half). I know I can pitch well again.”
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) February 11, 2019
“I had great 1st half and then all that (bad 2nd half) happened. I know the pitcher I am, I know I can go back (to the pitcher of the 1st half). I know I can pitch well again.”
While the overall numbers were pretty impressive for the Yankees’ 24-year-old ace, the second half was really a challenging time for him. After posting a 2.31 ERA in 20 games and 128.1 innings in the first half, he would put up a 5.57 ERA the rest of the season.
Even with the poor numbers, like a 3.98 ERA in September, Yankees manager Aaron Boone stuck with Severino in the American League Wild Card Game where he only lasted four innings, not allowing a run. All of the positives would disappear though when he allowed six earned runs in the Division Series against the eventual World Series champion Boston Red Sox.
Rumors swirled at the end of the season how Severino was tipping pitchers, and there’s a video of Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. predicting pitches from the dugout. But Severino is not exactly sure of that as he told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
Luis Severino (@LuisSeverino94) said that he changed his workout to avoid late-season fatigue… he isn’t sure if he was tipping pitches, but he saw the Jackie Bradley Jr. video and is ready to make whatever changes are needed. pic.twitter.com/ilhcyeDVcD
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 11, 2019
No matter how you see it, Severino is an important part of the Yankees rotation and they will only go as far as he takes them. At least he knows he needs to make adjustments and will be working on them this spring.
Should Severino return to form, he’s proven he can be a legitimate force leading the way for the Yankees as a true ace.
