The Yankees are vying to win their 28th title, and while the debates of whether Gerrit Cole or Nestor Cortes should grab the Game 1 nod have ensued, Luis Severino just turned in one of the most dominant starts of the season. With 7 innings of no-hit ball, Severino ends his season with a 3.18 ERA over 102.0 innings, but it showed a lot to love for Yankee fans watching. His stuff is better than ever, and this version of Luis Severino is going to be vital to a potential Yankees 2022 World Series run.
Luis Severino Showing Off Electric Fastballs
Tonight was arguably Luis Severino’s best fastball of the season, with some incredible spin rates, velocity, and movement.
Sitting at 97.9 MPH, it was his best average fastball velocity of the season, just edging out his first start of the season, where he sat at 97.8 MPH against the Boston Red Sox in April. He was getting better backspin on his fastball, and backspin aids in giving the ball carry and preventing it from dropping too much as it fights the force of gravity. This gives the “rising” effect to a four-seam fastball, and Texas hitters could not do a thing against Severino’s fastball as he had just 10″ of drop and generated a 36% Whiff% on the pitch.
Adding that extra carry and “life” to his fastball alongside added velocity makes the pitch even better, and with a sharp fastball like that, it’ll be hard for teams in the playoffs to do much, especially with his wipeout slider and amazing changeup. His post-IL stint ERA sits at 1.69 in his 3 starts back, and it was his first time having three straight starts with an average fastball velocity at or above 97 MPH since 2018. He’s come full circle in terms of his pitch mix, now, it’s a matter of staying healthy.
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Do the Yankees Have the best 3 Starter in October?
Luis Severino finished the year with a 3.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 3.37 SIERA, ranking consistently among the top 25-30 among starters in these categories (minimum 100 IP), and while his health brings concerns for a full 162-game season, it does not matter in individual matchups in October.
If the Luis Severino you’re getting is the one we’ve seen since he’s returned from the Injured List, it’s hard to imagine that there’s a team in the American League boasting a better #3 starter. It’ll be an uphill battle for the Yankees as they’ll have to face tough lineups in October who are just as desperate to grab a World Series, but if they have this version of Luis Severino on their side, that Commissioner’s Trophy could be headed to the Bronx where it belongs.