If I were to come up to you on March 30 and ask you who the best starting pitcher in New York would be, whom would you have said?
Be honest here. I probably would have told you Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom or Masahiro Tanaka. Heck, Matt Harvey and C.C. Sabathia probably came up more than who currently holds that title.
Instead, Yankees right-hander Luis Severino has been the ace of New York, especially as of late.
In 11 starts this season, the 23-year-old is 4-2 with a 2.90 ERA and 76 strikeouts. Those last two figures both rank seventh in the American League.
His last four starts are what have helped him get to these numbers.
Entering a May 19 start against the Tampa Bay Rays, Severino was 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA while allowing six home runs as the Yankees continued to search for consistent solid pitching.
Since then, he is 2-0 while allowing just four earned runs with a combined 29 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.
It’s an unexpected rise to prominence in such a pitching-heavy market like New York. But injuries to Mets ace Syndergaard along with Steven Matz and the inconsistencies of Harvey have left much to be desired on the mound in Queens, allowing Severino to take the city crown during the early parts of the 2017 season.
2017 starting pitching stats among qualified New York pitchers
Innings Pitched
1. Luis Severino (NYY)- 68.1
2. Jacob deGrom (NYM)- 68
3. Michael Pineda (NYY)- 64.2
Wins
1. Michael Pineda (NYY)- 6
1. CC Sabathia (NYY)- 6
3. Masahiro Tanaka (NYY)- 5
4. Luis Severino (NYY)- 4
4. Jacob deGrom (NYM)- 4
4. Matt Harvey (NYM)- 4
4. Robert Gsellman (NYM)- 4
ERA
1. Luis Severino (NYY)- 2.90
2. Jordan Montgomery (NYY)- 3.67
3. Zack Wheeler (NYM)- 3.72
Strikeouts
1. Jacob deGrom (NYM)- 92
2. Luis Severino (NYY)- 76
3. Michael Pineda (NYY) 67
