Yankees: Why Luis Severino can be X-factor in championship push

Luis Severino is back and better than ever, and that makes the New York Yankees even more of a threat in the race for the American League pennant.

More so than the statistics, the eye test shows the the Yankees former, oft-injured ace is back to being a frontline starter. After suffering several injuries since the start of the 2019 season — he’s had shoulder, lat, elbow and groin issues that have kept him out of for most of the last three years — Severino has looked like his old self to start the 2022 season. In fact, he might be better.

The 28-year-old Luis Severino, a former Cy Young candidate, has been awfully impressive to start the 2022 campaign for the New York Yankees.

In his first start of the season, the right-hander allowed two runs in three-plus innings against Boston in a game the Yankees would eventually won. While the results weren’t perfect, he showed flashes of his old self, while also showing an improved changeup that kept Red Sox hitters off balance.

More important than the results on the field, though, was his recovery between starts. He showed no issues and seemed poised to improve upon his 65-pitch performance in Thursday night’s outing against the Toronto Blue Jays. And improve he did.

Severino was excellent against Toronto, tossing five shutout innings against a potent Blue Jays lineup. He struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. three times, a day after the mighty slugger tagged the Yankees for three home runs.

Severino’s final pitching line: two hits, two walks, six strikeouts, and 83 pitches in five innings.

“They give me the ball, I want to compete, that’s my main thing try to help my team,” Severino told the New York Post‘s Steve Serby after Thursday’s game. “Not only for me [but] for the fans. I’ve been away for a long time. I want to go out there compete and show the fans that I still have it.”

Aside from the numbers, Severino looked comfortable and in control on the mound. Usually one to pitch with adrenaline, Severino seemed calm, cool, and collected on the mound against the Jays. He also showed an increased pitching aptitude, brilliantly mixing his improved change up and off-speed offerings with his upper-90s heater.

It’s been a long road to this point, but if Severino is truly healthy and improved, he could be the difference between the Yankees clinching a Wild Card spot or the American League pennant.

If he can and Gerrit Cole can be twin aces atop New York’s rotation, paired with the emerging Nestor Cortes, Jameson Taillon, and Jordan Montgomery, the Yankees will be a force to be reckoned with this season.

That rotation would rank near or at the top in the American League and, theoretically, would be able to carry the Yankees deep into October as the team continues its quest for their 28th World Series championship.