Yankees' Aaron Judge looking forward to seeing Luis Severino, but not from the batter's box
Yankees centerfielder Aaron Judge looks on against Atlanta at Yankee Stadium on Friday, June 21, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
When the Mets decided not to start Luis Severino in the Subway Series opener on Tuesday night at Citi Field, one of his former teammates broke out in a big smile.
Aaron Judge would prefer not to face Severino just yet
“I don’t need to see him again,” Judge told Newsday on Saturday before the Yankees hosted Atlanta at Yankee Stadium. “I’ve seen him plenty of times in spring training. In 2022 during the lockout, we got a chance to meet up on a high school field and get a couple at-bats.”
Don’t get Judge wrong — he’s excited to “see” Severino before the games Tuesday and Wednesday. He just doesn’t need to face Severino, whom the Mets decided to start Sunday against the Cubs in Chicago, with David Peterson pitching against the Yankees on Tuesday.
“He’s a great pitcher,” Judge said of his former teammate. “He’s got electric stuff. I wish he was still in pinstripes doing his thing.”
Severino, 30, came up with the Yankees and pitched for them from 2015-23. He went 4-8 with a 6.65 ERA and 1.65 WHIP last season. After signing a one-year, $13 million free-agent contract with the Mets, he is 4-2 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 14 starts in a bounce-back season.
“He was on the first team I played for in Low-A Charleston,” Judge said. “To see him progress into the man he is today, the player he is, it’s incredible to watch. I think the past couple seasons, dealing with injuries, I feel like he’s a guy that tried to rush back because he wanted to be there for the team. I think it might have hurt him a little bit.
“Now the results are showing up like the Severino we all know. Like I said, I wish he was in pinstripes and doing that, but he’s still in New York. He loved it here. We all loved him here. Have a lot of respect for him. One of my favorite teammates to play with.”
The second Subway Series will take place on July 23-24 at Yankee Stadium, so there will be another chance.
“I’ll definitely see him down the road,” Judge said. “I know we’re going to be facing each other and I’ll be looking forward to the matchup.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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