Wild-card do-over: Severino for Yankees again

| October 9, 2018 | SPORTS | No Comments
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New York Yankees starter Luis Severino pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

NEW YORK (AP) — Luis Severino gets a wild-card do-over.

After getting just one out for the New York Yankees against Minnesota last year, Severino starts this year’s winner-take-all matchup against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night .

“I just want to win,” Severino said Tuesday. “If I can go four good innings and then the bullpen comes, that would be great.”

Severino was chosen over J.A. Happ and Masahiro Tanaka despite a second-half slump. Rookie manager Aaron Boone said he made the decision after a staff meeting Saturday, slept on it and finalized it the next day .

“I think he’s equipped in so many ways to handle this, and perhaps most importantly, he’s equipped with amazing stuff and the ability to dominate big league hitters because he’s such a talented pitcher,” Boone said.

Severino left last year’s wild-card game trailing 3-0 after allowing four hits and a walk. Chad Green, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and Aroldis Chapman combined for five-hit relief as New York rallied for an 8-4 victory.

“I was too excited,” Severino said. “It was a good experience. Now I’ll take that tomorrow and try to treat that game like a regular game.”