WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Luis Severino grew up a Yankees fan. He still is a Yankees fan, he said.
He also just wants to face off against the Yankees already.
“I’m pretty excited about facing the Yankees,” Severino said Friday from Sutter Health Park before the Yankees’ 10-2 win over the A’s and ahead of his expected start Sunday. “I’m trying to figure out what to throw [Aaron] Judge. … I’m going to bring everything I have out there.”
The long-awaited rematch between Severino — a 2012 international signing out of the Dominican Republic who rose to become an ace in a sometimes brilliant, sometimes rocky tenure in The Bronx from 2015-23 — and the Yankees did not develop last year, when the Mets reconfigured their rotation twice.
They wanted to throw lefty pitchers against a Yankees team that did not hit lefties well. Manager Aaron Boone joked that Severino “ducked us” last year.
The 2024 decision was not Severino’s, who at the time joked that the Yankees “right now … only have two good hitters,” referring to Judge and Juan Soto.
How many good hitters do the Yankees have now?
“I’m not sure,” Severino said with a laugh from the home clubhouse. “On this side [of the country], I have to look at the stats. This is like three hours behind. Definitely Judge is one, I can say that.”
The Yankees will see a different Severino, who has pitched well (3.62 ERA) in his first eight starts with the A’s with a deeper arsenal than he held in pinstripes.
He also will look different, sporting the same beard he donned with the Mets and never could with the Yankees.
When Severino learned this spring that the Yankees were changing their facial hair policies, “I was pissed. I was mad,” Severino said, again laughing. “I was there, and I couldn’t do that. But I’m happy for the guys.”
Severino also is happy with a three-year, $67 million pact that was the result of a strong season in Queens and the A’s paying a premium to lure an established starter to a minor league ballpark.
Severino acknowledged pitching in steamy, windy Sacramento is “tough,” but he has been effective thus far.
And healthy. After injuries derailed his Yankees career, he made 31 starts (plus three postseason starts) with the Mets. He has had no hiccups with the A’s, believing he has better learned how to take care of his body.
He has grown into a front-of-the-rotation pitcher, whom teammate JP Sears called a leader of a young rotation and particularly helpful with the Latin players.
Severino is excited for Sunday and does not seem to hold anything against the Yankees after a tenure that ended with injuries and ineffectiveness.
“I love it there,” Severino said of his first club. “Even growing up, I was a Yankees fan. I’m still a Yankees fan. I love those guys. They made me the pitcher I am, the man I am right now.”
