Aaron Boone’s heart and those of Yankees fans skipped a beat during the seventh inning Saturday.
Luis Severino had just thrown a pitch for ball four that wound up at the backstop and left the right-hander kneeling on the mound.
Based on his recent bad luck with injuries, it was understandable to expect the worst.
Fortunately, it was merely an errant delivery.
“It was just a bad pitch, I was mad at myself,” Severino said after he helped the Yankees snap a three-game skid by throwing 6 ²/₃ strong innings in a 3-2, 10-inning victory over the Padres in The Bronx. “I thought he was going to take me out. I said, ‘No, one more hitter.’ ”
Severino seems to be on the right track after he missed the first seven weeks of the season due to a strained lat he suffered during the final week of spring training.
He pitched well in his debut and was even better Saturday, limiting the Padres to one earned run and just one hit, a solo homer by Fernando Tatis Jr. in the fourth inning, while striking out five and walking three.
He would have finished the seventh if not for Gleyber Torres’ fielding error with two outs.
He was lifted after Trent Grisham reached on that error, following 82 pitches, 54 of them strikes.
Severino was in complete command, limiting the Padres to five base runners and retiring the side in order four times.
He lit up the radar gun, hitting 100 mph at one point and sitting in the high 90s with his fastball.
“I feel pretty good. I feel pretty healthy,” he said. “It’s a matter of getting more pitches in. … I feel all my pitches are there.”
It has been a frustrating handful of years for Severino, who has made just 28 appearances dating back to 2019, mostly because of Tommy John surgery.
A lat injury limited him to just 19 starts last year.
Now, he finally feels healthy and ready to regain his form from 2017 and 2018, when he went a combined 33-14 with a 3.18 ERA and struck out 450 hitters across 384 ²/₃ innings.
The Yankees clearly need the 29-year-old flamethrower.
They can envision a lights-out rotation led by Gerrit Cole, Severino and Carlos Rodon, the offseason addition who has yet to pitch for the Yankees this season due to a back injury.
“[Severino is] a frontline starter to go with our other guys, and hopefully we’re getting other guys in the mix as the season unfolds,” Boone said. “You can see a place where we have a chance to have a really complete and talented group that’s tough to score against. He’s a frontline guy. When he’s on the mound, if he’s at his best, he can match up with anyone in the league and any offense in the league.”
