Luis Severino Excited to Face New York Yankees

Ahead of the weekend opener against the Athletics, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about facing two former Yankees this weekend in JP Sears and Luis Severino.

"It seems like we get JP every time we face the A's, so that I figured was a lock." Boone then joked that "Sevvy ducked us last year" when he was with the New York Mets, his first season outside of the Bronx. "It's definitely good to see those guys."

Luis Severino was also asked how he felt about facing his old team on Friday. "I'm really excited to face the Yankees. I'm trying to figure out what to throw to [Aaron] Judge. He's having a great season."

The first pitch that Judge saw from Friday's starter, Osvaldo Bido, he drilled, smacking it 114.7 miles per hour off the wall in left-center. He also hit a high, majestic ball in the top of the sixth, that many thought was going to leave the yard. Instead, it died on the warning track.

Severino was also asked about seeing Judge when he's at his best, and his thoughts on the first month or so that Judge has produced, batting .396 with a .488 OBP, 12 home runs, and 34 RBI in 38 games.

"Usually this is the bad part of his season, you know, the first month, and he's hitting like .400 with 40 homers. It's unbelievable what he can do. He's such a good player. Even when he's not doing good, he's always the same person, which is why he's one of my favorite teammates that I've played with. I feel like every year he gets better. I don't know how."

Severino spent the first eight years of his career in pinstripes, holding a 3.79 ERA in that span while being one of the leaders in the rotation. It was pretty obvious that he really enjoyed his time in New York and has no ill will towards his former team.

He reached free agency after the 2023 campaign and signed on with the New York Mets, where he rebounded nicely from a 6.65 ERA with the Yankees in his final season, posting a 3.91 ERA in his lone year with the Mets.

His 2024 campaign led him to landing in West Sacramento with the A's to serve as the team's ace. Through eight starts, he holds a 3.62 ERA and has made a habit out of going six plus innings this season, which has been huge for the up-and-coming A's. He pitches with a lot of emotion on the mound, and that should be on full display on Sunday.