The Yankees have decided to start ace Luis Severino in Wednesday's wild card game against the A's, meaning he probably wouldn't be available to start sooner than Game 3 of the division series against the Red Sox if the Yankees should advance.
We say "probably" because Severino's last attempt at winning a wild card game didn't go so well. Last year against the Twins, he was lifted after allowing three runs in just one-third of an inning over 29 pitches, but the Yankees rallied for an 8-4 victory before advancing to Game 7 of the ALCS against the Astros.
Severino, who went 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA, had a strange season. After beating the Red Sox on July 1 in the infamous David Price five-homer game at Yankee Stadium to improve to 13-2 with a 1.98 ERA, Severino went 4-5 with a 6.83 ERA over his next 11 starts, covering almost exactly two months.
He finished strong, however, winning two of his final three starts while posting a 2.04 ERA and striking out 18.
Severino went 1-1 with a 6.23 ERA in two starts vs. the A's, for what it's worth. He's also 10-2 with a 2.74 ERA at Yankee Stadium, where the Yankees will host the A's.