The Yankees' worst nightmare came true.
Luis Severino reverted back to the pitcher who struggled much of the second half in Monday's Game 3 against the Red Sox and Aaron Boone left him in a few batters too long as he was knocked out of the game in the fourth inning and the Yankees fell behind, 7-0.
Severino finished with six earned runs on seven hits and two walks in three innings pitched. Three more runs were charged to him when Lance Lynn was unable to hold the runners he inherited in the fourth inning after Boone chose to send Severino back out to start the inning.
Per TBS analyst Ron Darling, Severino did not begin warming up until 7:32 p.m. -- eight minutes before first pitch -- suggesting he may not have been aware of the game's 7:40 p.m. start time.
Boone and Severino both denied such thing following the game. Severino said he always goes to the bullpen 10 minutes before the game.
Luis Severino says he warmed up like usual pic.twitter.com/ZGdVqeyhQz
- SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) October 9, 2018
"He had plenty of warmup"
- SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) October 9, 2018
Aaron Boone says Luis Severino had enough time to warm up before tonight's game pic.twitter.com/CkXVZGs3pC
The right-hander clearly did not have it from the get-go, allowing three hard hit fly outs in the first inning. He allowed a run in the second after a sharp single from Rafael Devers and a Christian Vazquez comebacker off his glove that allowed Devers to score.
The Red Sox added two more in the third when Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi led off with back-to-back singles and both taking an extra base on Benintendi's bloop to left field.
Betts scored on a J.D. Martinez sac fly and Xander Bogaerts ripped a single to right field to make it 3-0.
Severino finally escaped the inning with the pen warming up by getting Steve Pearce to fly out to deep center field, putting a scare into the stadium.
Despite laboring through the three innings, Boone kept Severino in for the fourth where he allowed back-to-back singles and a walk to No. 9 hitter Jackie Bradley Jr. before Boone called on Lynn.
Lynn proceeded to walk Betts then allowed a bases clearing double to Benintendi which made it 7-0. It only got worse from there.
Chad Green relieved Lynn with one out and runners on the corners before allowing a RBI single to Pearce and a two-run triple to Brock Holt to cap a seven-run fourth inning for the Red Sox.
