NEW YORK — Luis Severino His glove fell off and he immediately clutched his left side, grimacing after his last pitch Friday night. It may also have been his last as a Yankee.
Hours later, still in extreme discomfort, Severino will undergo diagnostic tests on Saturday, another unwanted addition to the right-hander’s long injury history. The Brewers pulled away with six final runs, giving the Bombers a defeat 8-2 at Yankee Stadium.
“I feel like someone shot me,” Severino said. “It’s a deep, sharp pain.”
On Saturday, the Yankees placed Severino on the 10-day injured list, pending further testing. Right-hander Ron Marinaccio was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Except for Willy Adames’ game-tying fourth-inning home run, Severino was pitching well Friday and had been showing improvement since declaring himself “in the majors.”worst pitcher” a month ago. Severino said he felt no discomfort on his previous throws, and catcher Austin Wells didn’t notice any problems before the fateful throw.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” Wells said. “At first I thought he was going to throw up, and then he held his side. Not good.”
Jasson Dominguez hit a two-run homer, his fourth major league hit, as the Yankees fell below .500 at 70-71, now eight games behind the The third wild card of the American League with 21 to play. Dominguez, 20, is the youngest Yankee to hit a home run and steal a base in the same game since Mickey Mantle in 1951.
But any enthusiasm for Marciano’s performance was tempered by the sight of Severino hunched over at the base of the mound, reeling from an injury that seemingly came out of nowhere.
“I feel terrible for him,” Wells said. “Even tonight he did a great job. I don’t think they saw him very well tonight. He really wanted to take it to the bottom. He has struggled this year and has worked hard to get back to doing what he does best. “It’s really unfortunate the timing of it.”
As a free agent after this season, Severino’s chances of ending a difficult season on a positive note are now in jeopardy. His last pitch of the night came when Brice Turang singled to center field leading off the top of the fifth inning.
Severino was an American League All-Star in 2017 and 2018, and there was only optimism about his future during the spring of 2019, when he finalized terms on a four-year, $40 million contract extension. The club also announced that month a seven-year, $70 million extension for outfielder Aaron Hicks, expecting both players to be key figures in its future success.
None of the deals worked; Hicks is still on the Yankees’ roster, save for the league minimum, and appears headed for the playoffs with the American League East-leading Orioles. Severino was out for most of the 2019 season due to a shoulder strain and then underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2020.
Severino has also missed time due to groin, lat and shoulder problems. When the Yankees exercised their $15 million option last November, general manager Brian Cashman said at the time that the decision was “an easy yes.” Any future consideration of Severino will not be so clear.
“There’s a lot on the line for him,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s been through a lot over the last few years with injuries, and when he’s pitched, he’s pitched very well. This year, when he came back, he really had a long struggle when he was healthy for the first time in his career.
“It seemed like he’s really started to improve these last four weeks, where he’s been throwing the ball a lot better. I thought he was throwing the ball well tonight. Stinks; what you feel for him. We’ll see what we have.”
William Contreras, Carlos Santana and Adames contributed with RBI hits in the seventh, runs to Jhony Brito and Jonathan Loáisiga. Greg Weissert saw three runs scored under his control in the eighth. Bombers pitchers have allowed 18 runs in their last two games after allowing just 20 in the previous nine (Aug. 28-Sept. 6).
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