LUIS AIMS HIGH
Takes mound with hunger
TORONTO — Luis Severino believes there is plenty he can improve upon from his breakout 2017 season, which would mean he’d have to finish first or second in the American League in ERA or in the league’s Cy Young voting this year.
We’ll begin to find out when Severino, who finished third in both categories in his first full season as a member of the Yankees’ starting rotation, deservedly gets the ball on Thursday on Opening Day against the Blue Jays.
“I smiled right away, I was happy. Last year I was fighting for a spot and now they asked me to be the first starter, the first game. I was very happy to have that honor,” Severino said before the Yanks’ workout on Wednesday at Rogers Centre. “I am going to concentrate on my stuff and the stuff I have to do tomorrow. I’m really excited.
“We have great guys, a great team, we had a great year. I think not only me, but everybody is excited, even the fans, New York is really excited. We’re gonna show everybody what we can do.”
Severino showed what he could do in emerging as a first-time AllStar one year ago, finishing 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA and 230 strikeouts in 193 innings. The 24-year-old righty said he’s not necessarily aiming for better statistics, but he cited his fastball command and repeating his delivery from pitch to pitch as the things he’s seeking to improve.
“If I think I have to beat the numbers that I did last year, I’m not going to do a good job. I will go one game at a time, working on my stuff and after the season is over we’ll see where the numbers are,” Severino said.
Still, Aaron Boone has been impressed by Severino’s determination to make those adjustments throughout spring training.
“Like with Aaron (Judge), you can tell this guy is really hungry and he has an expectation that he can be a great pitcher in this game,” Boone said. “And that came across to me in getting to know him a little bit, watching him prepare.
“Last year was a great year for him, but he's not satisfied with that. Another thing that makes him well-equipped for this is at 24 years of age or whatever he is, he’s been through a lot at the big-league level. He’s had his struggles, he’s had to fight through things and he’s also AP dominated in a big way. I think that does make him well-equipped for this step as Opening Day starter, but hopefully taking even another step as a starting pitcher this year.”