With the summer over and September finally here, it’s go time for the Mets.
They entered the month only two games back of the Braves, and started September strong by sweeping the White Sox in Chicago. The foot has been on the pedal, and the Mets couldn’t afford to take their foot off the gas with the Red Sox coming into town.
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Luckily for New York, Luis Severino brought his A-game against a familiar foe. The right-hander turned in seven innings Monday night against Boston, allowing only one run on six hits and two walks to a Red Sox team that is chasing the third Wild Card spot in the American League.
It wasn’t a dominant start from Severino’s Yankee days, but the starter kept the Red Sox off the board for the majority of the night. The one run he did allow came in the third inning, which in of itself was flukey due to Brandon Nimmo turning a Ceddanne Rafaela single into a triple.
It was an all-around great performance. And it allowed for the top arms of the bullpen to get some rest. Danny Young and Phil Maton combined for two scoreless innings, allowing Edwin Díaz to rest after he pitched four times in the last five days.
With the start in the books, Severino recorded his 10th win of the season. It brought the Mets within half of a game of the Braves for the third National League Wild Card and reminded everyone David Stearns was right to take a gamble on the righty.
Prior to the 2024 season, Severino was searching for a team to rebound with. He had pitched only 197.1 innings in his last four seasons with the Yankees and pitched to a 6.65 ERA in 2023.
Severino, however, has completely turned it around with the Mets. In 27 starts, Severino has pitched to a 3.84 ERA with 136 strikeouts and one shutout. More importantly, the righty has logged 159.2 innings—a feat he hasn’t accomplished since 2018.
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“If you asked me in spring training if I was going to be 150 innings right now, I’d say no chance,” Severino told the media.
Reaching 150 innings has been fruitful for both Severino and the Mets. Severino has revived his career across town, while the Mets have replaced a large number of innings that were voided when Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander departed mid 2023.
The experiment has worked for the better of both parties. And it could lead to a playoff birth. The Mets are now 10 games over .500 for the first time since 2022, and they continue to pick up ground of the Braves and Diamondbacks.
It’s one year ahead of schedule. And certainly something no one expected after the Mets were 22-33 earlier in May.
“We realized that nobody was expecting us to win,” Severino said. “So, if we go out there and lose, it was nothing crazy about it. So just go out there and compete, give 100%, and we’ll see what happens at the end of the year.”
Taking it day by day has seemed to work. The Mets continue to win and are keeping pace with the other playoff-hopeful NL teams. The win on Monday was another step in the right direction, and one that was led by Severino.
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