The Yankees won’t expect a whole lot from Luis Severino in Wednesday’s American League Wild Card Game against the A’s at Yankee Stadium.
NEW YORK — Five and fly? Not even.
Expect the Yankees to be plenty happy if starting pitcher Luis Severino can get through even four innings vs. the Oakland A’s in the American League Wild Card on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Boone said the 23-year-old right-hander will get a chance to pitch deep in to the game — and then he threw in a caveat.
“As far as with Sevy, hopefully he pitches deep into this game, and if he’s pitching well, he’ll have that kind of opportunity,” Boone told reporters Tuesday.
“But, obviously, with our bullpen and what we’ll have available at our disposal, we’ll also be very aggressive in making moves or trying to set up the best matchups, depending on the game.”
Even Severino sort of expects it.
“I just want to win,” he said. “Whatever happens, if I can go four good innings and then the bullpen comes, that would be great. I just want to win and move up and go to Boston and try to win there.”
The Yankees and A’s matchup will feature two of the most powerful offenses in the sport. New York hit 267 bombs, a single-season record, breaking the former mark of 265 set by the Mariners in 1997. Oakland hit the fourth-most home runs this year with 227.
The showdown also will boast a pair of dominant bullpens. The A’s relievers posted a 3.37 ERA this season, good enough for third in MLB. The Yankees? Right behind them, in fourth with a 3.38 ERA.
So the Yankees will have no problem being as aggressive as Boone said, especially with Thursday as an off day before the winning team heads to Boston for the start of the ALDS.
The Yankees figure to go early to David Robertson or Chad Green (or both) for multiple innings, leaving Dellin Betances, Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman for single-inning work.
Regardless of the length of the leash, Severino said he’s jacked up for the opportunity.
“It means a lot,” he said. “It means that they trust me. They know that I can be good, that I can be better. I mean, you guys know me. I can have trouble, and the next start I can be good. If something bad happens, it happens at that time, I just get over it and keep working and get better.”
Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
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