Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
New York Post
Luis Severino pitches rare complete-game shutout to lead Mets past Marlins again
By Dan Martin,
5 hours ago
In what’s been a throwback year for Luis Severino, the right-hander delivered his best performance of the season with his first shutout since 2018 in a 4-0 win over the Marlins on Saturday at Citi Field.
It came complete with chants of “Sevy” from the Queens crowd, as Severino recovered from three straight poor performances to dominate Miami, which has the worst offense in the National League.
That hardly mattered to the 30-year-old, whose career was in shambles less than a year ago following a calamitous final season in The Bronx.
Luis Severino lets out a celebratory yell after pitching a complete-game shutout in the Mets’ 4-0 win over the Marlins on Aug. 17, 2024. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
Since then, he’s refined his repertoire, cut down on tipping pitches and become a better pitcher and it culminated Saturday.
Severino called his season “amazing.”
The Mets offense scored a run in each of the first four innings to give Severino a cushion, sparked by a leadoff homer by Francisco Lindor and a blast by Pete Alonso to start the bottom of the second.
Severino took care of the rest, as he took advantage of Miami’s aggressive approach at the plate and was able to keep his pitch count down in the first complete game shutout by a Met since Jacob deGrom tossed one against Washington in 2021.
Severino waved to the crowd as he walked off the mound following the eighth, having thrown 94 pitches, but he and Carlos Mendoza had a conversation — two, actually — between innings and Severino convinced the manager to keep him in the game.
“I wanted to see how he was feeling,” said Mendoza, who has a long history with Severino from their time with the Yankees. “He just looked me in the eye and said he was good.”
Luis Severino is doused with Gatorade by teammates after pitching a complete-game shutout in the Mets’ win on Aug. 17, 2024. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
Mendoza then followed Severino down to the batting cages below the dugout.
“I wanted to make sure,” Mendoza said. “I wanted him to be honest. I told him, ‘Give me everything you’ve got.’”
Then Severino drilled Jake Burger with his first pitch in the ninth and Mendoza went to the mound.
The Citi Field crowd booed, thinking Mendoza was going to pull Severino for Edwin Diaz. But with Severino’s velocity still up, Mendoza let him go batter-by-batter, telling him, “This is your game.”
Francisco Lindor hits a solo homer in the first inning of the Mets’ win on Aug. 17, 2024. Jason Szenes / New York Post
Severino responded by getting the next three outs to finish it.
It was an important outing for Severino for a number of reasons.
Perhaps most significantly, it came after three of his worst starts of the year.
Heading into Saturday, he’d given up 15 runs — 14 earned — in 13 innings, along with five homers as his ERA jumped from 3.58 to 4.17 in the three rough outings.
Luis Severino is congratulated by Francisco Alvarez after finishing off his complete-game shutout in the Mets’ win on Aug. 17, 2024. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
But on Saturday, Severino mostly cruised, throwing a season-high 113 pitches. He struck out eight and walked just one.
And for a rotation that’s struggled to provide length recently, Severino’s complete game followed Sean Manaea’s seven-inning outing on Friday, which gave the bullpen a break.
The Mets have won consecutive games since dropping five of six and can finish off the series sweep Sunday.
After the Marlins leave town, the Orioles come to Citi Field before the Mets begin a critical road trip in San Diego, with Arizona to follow.
Pete Alonso blasts a solo home run in the second inning of the Mets’ win on Aug. 17, 2024. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
Their wild-card hopes may ride on the next three series, so it was vital they beat up on the Marlins, especially after dropping a series to Oakland.
Having Severino get back to the form he showed earlier in the season will be key.
He’ll likely never approach the dominance he showed in his early years in The Bronx, but he’s a proven commodity who has pitched in big spots before.
Asked if he could be the ace of the staff, especially with Kodai Senga’s return from a strained calf not guaranteed, Severino demurred.
“We need everybody,’’ Severino said.
And on Saturday, he delivered.
For the latest in sports, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/sports/
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0