5 reasons the Yankees will beat the Twins yet again

2. Fresh Sevy

Right-hander Luis Severino has emerged as the long-awaited homegrown ace for the Yankees, but he is still searching for his first defining playoff moment. The 25-year-old All-Star went 33-14 in 2017 and 2018 with a 3.18 ERA in 63 starts and struck out 10.5 per nine with a 1.092 WHIP. That same type of dominance hasn’t carried over to the playoffs, where he is 1-2 with a 6.26 ERA in six starts. Severino has allowed 22 hits and five home runs in 23 playoff innings with 14 walks.

Severino’s first career playoff start actually came against the Twins in the 2017 Wild Card Game, and it did not go well, which is putting it mildly. He yielded four hits, three runs and two home runs and was pulled after getting only one out. The Yankees stormed back to beat the Twins, but Severino was awful. He pitched well in the 2018 edition of the Wild Card Game, but dealt with command issues and walked four in four shutout innings. Severino was then hammered by the Boston Red Sox in his lone ALDS start, giving up seven hits and six runs in three innings.

The Yankees were aggressive in assigning Severino to start must-win games in his first two career playoff trips and he delivered mixed results. Despite the fact that he made only three starts in September while dealing with shoulder and lat injuries for the better part of the year, his status for this postseason was never really in jeopardy. The Yankees could just afford to draw his rehab out as long as possible.

Now, Severino will enter the playoffs having thrown a grand total of 12 innings this year. He was dominant in his three tuneup starts, striking out 17 and giving up only six hits. Severino’s fastball averaged over 96 mph, while his slider was untouchable. The Yankees have pushed him back to Game 3 of the ALDS, so there’s less pressure this year. He’s also about 180 innings short of where he was the last two postseasons. Expect Severino to deliver a big start, even if it’s only a short burst.