Sevy focused on Astros’ lineup — not their ace
It’s hard to know just what kind of postseason pitcher Luis Severino is at this point.
Is he the guy who’s battled through four scoreless innings in two of his last three playoff appearances — including in the ALDS Game 3 clincher in Minnesota?
Or is he more the guy who got pounded for six runs in three-plus innings versus Boston during last year’s ALDS?
He’ll get another test Tuesday when he faces the Astros in Game 3 of the ALCS in The Bronx.
While many of t he ques - tions asked of Severino during his press conference Monday at Yankee Stadium centered on going up against Houston right-hander Gerrit Cole, Severino is more concerned about the Astros’ lineup and staying focused in what will surely be an electric atmosphere.
“This is not the first time I’ve been in the playoffs,’’ Severino said. “I’ve had experience in a couple games. [I’m] just going to go out there and have fun. A lot has happened in the past and I don’t have to worry about that. I need to worry about [Tuesday] and make good pitches and get hitters out.’’
He’s taken an unusual path to get to this point this season, missing nearly the entire year with rotator cuff inflammation and then a lat strain. Severino showed promise in three September outings before getting out of two huge jams in his outing in Minnesota.
Severino has admitted in the past that he’s let a charged environment and his own emotions get the best of him and believes he has overcome that issue.
“What I learned is sometimes you have to block everything outside and worry about the hitters,” Severino said. “Not worry about the noise from the fans or anything else. You have to worry about making good pitches. You go out there and have good games.’’
Aaron Boone is conf ident Severino is capable of doing just that and saw it against the Twins.
“We saw in the Minnesota series, where he got in about as big a jam as you can get in and I thought was in complete command of himself and of his emotions and ultimately was able to execute and get out of a huge inning and give us a good outing,’’ Boone said.
The manager knows how important that will be for Severino and the Yankees to have a good shot Tuesday.
“That’s another one of those little separators this time of year,’’ Boone said. “You’ve got to be able to handle situations, handle the moment, handle adversity [and] handle success on the fly. And the one thing about [him] is I feel like he’s been through a lot as a young major leaguer: lots of success, some bumps in the road, some stumbles, an injury now this year. [He’s had] postseason experiences where he’s fallen down, where he’s come back and dealt. So I think hopefully all those things equip him well heading into [Tuesday.] … Whatever the result ends up being, he’s in command of the moment.’’