The Mets fully embraced the risk of signing pitchers with elite potential but were marred by injuries. They did so when they inked Luis Severino this offseason. Performances like Sundays and several others this season demonstrate why the Mets took that gamble—and it appears to be paying off.
Severino delivered one of his best performances as a Met in a 5-2 victory in Chicago, securing both the series and the season series for the Mets over the Cubs. This crucial victory gives the Mets the tiebreaker over the Cubs in the NL Wild Card race. Severino was dominant, striking out back-to-back Cubs to end the fifth inning, bringing his total to eight strikeouts for the night. He allowed only two hits and no walks on 70 pitches through the first five innings.
In the sixth inning, Severino faced some trouble as Miguel Amaya reached first on an infield single, and Nico Hoernerwas hit by a pitch, putting two Cubs on base with no outs. Severino responded by striking out Michael Busch looking and Cody Bellinger swinging after a grueling 12-pitch at-bat, bringing his strikeout total to 10, as he pounded his chest and yelled triumphantly on the mound en route to his fifth win of the season. He then got Seiya Suzuki to fly out to center, escaping the jam unscathed.
Luis Severino wins the 12-pitch battle against Cody Bellinger for his 10th K of the night! pic.twitter.com/1r0TCeVn0E
— MLB (@MLB) June 24, 2024
According to Sarah Langs, this game marked the first time Severino struck out ten batters since June 10, 2022, also against the Cubs, and the sixth time in his career he recorded 10+ strikeouts with no walks in a game, the first since August 31, 2018. The 12-pitch strikeout against Bellinger was the longest at-bat ending in a strikeout in Severino’s career.
Severino’s final line was three hits, ten strikeouts, no walks, and no runs over six innings on 102 pitches, lowering his season ERA to 3.29. As the Mets edge closer to a playoff berth, Luis Severino has emerged as the ace of the rotation in Kodai Senga’s absence and as a valuable asset. Despite recent trade rumors, the Mets are in a favorable position with him.
They can trade Severino for prospects or continue capitalizing on his strong performances to boost their playoff push. Last season, the rotation was a weakness for the team, but Severino’s contributions have helped transform it into a strength this year.
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