Severino, Betances impress in rehab outings

TRENTON, N.J. -- While the Yankees battled the rival Red Sox nearly 250 miles to the north, two of New York’s most important players got their first taste of playoff action Friday night.

That would be the Eastern League playoffs, as Luis Severino and Dellin Betances suited up for Double-A Trenton, helping the Thunder punch their ticket to the Eastern League Championship Series.

The rest of the team popped champagne corks following the 12-2 win over Reading. But Severino and Betances are hoping their contributions to the team’s big victory were a sign of things to come after they've missed the entire season with shoulder and lat injuries.

“I thought it was good,” Severino said after pitching in crisp, wet conditions. “Getting ready for New York. Perfect.”

Severino allowed one run over three-plus innings, looking as close to his old self as he has since last season. It was the second -- and quite possibly final -- Minor League rehab start for Severino, who could rejoin the Yankees before his next scheduled appearance.

“What I was looking for today, it was there; the break on my secondary pitches and my fastball command,” said Severino, who threw 50 pitches in the game before adding five in the bullpen. “I feel that I’m ready to help my team up there.”

In Boston, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said earlier in the day that if all went well Friday night, there was “a chance” Severino would be ready to rejoin the big league club in the coming days.

“If they need me, I will definitely go; that’s for them to decide,” Severino said. “I am excited, really excited. I went out there today and I feel like myself. I’m ready now. It feels good to finally be where I am right now.”

Carlos Beltran, a special adviser in the Yankees’ baseball operations department, was on hand in Trenton to watch both pitchers.

Severino had a quick first inning, striking out two batters. He hit 95 mph once on the ballpark’s radar gun, though he showed there was more in the tank as far as velocity was concerned.

Reading first baseman Darick Hall homered to start the second, but Severino responded with two quick outs. Reading managed two more singles in the inning before the right-hander got the third out, making a nice play on a slow roller between the mound and home plate to end the frame.

By the third, Severino was showing several fastballs clocking 95-97 mph, reaching the latter at least three times. He gave up a harmless one-out single before striking out the next two batters, getting Alec Bohm (the Phillies’ No. 1 prospect and the Majors' No. 34, per MLB Pipeline) with a nasty breaking ball before blowing a 97-mph fastball past Hall, the same hitter who took him deep the previous inning.

“In the first inning, I felt good letting go of the fastball, but I didn’t feel as good as when the game got going,” Severino said. “I was throwing the pitch and looking up; the first inning I was 94, I was like, ‘OK, come on, you can get more than that.’”

With his pitch count at 44, Severino returned for the fourth and allowed a leadoff single. He hit the 50-pitch mark (37 strikes) on the play, ending his night. The Trenton crowd, which was clearly excited to see him in the cozy confines of Arm & Hammer Park, gave him a nice ovation as he walked off the mound.

“Everything was sharp; the breaking ball -- except for that changeup on the homer, but whatever,” a smiling Severino said. “We can fix that.”

Betances jogged in from the bullpen to start the fifth, getting ready for his first competitive outing of 2019. He threw seven pitches to the first batter he faced, hitting Jack Conley with a 94-mph fastball. Five of those pitches clocked in at 93-94, ordinarily a low figure for Betances but an encouraging one as he pitched for the first time this year.

“That’s the hardest I’ve thrown this year; I wasn’t like that in spring,” Betances said. “For me, it always takes a little bit, so the more I pitch, the better it will be. I know with more adrenaline, more fans, you can add a couple [mph] there, but I think today was a good step.”

The 6-foot-8 right-hander balked the runner to second, but he got the next batter to line out to shortstop, then struck out Mickey Moniak (Phillies’ No. 8) with a filthy breaking ball, showing midseason form with that pitch.

“It’s good to finally be back on a mound pitching in a real game,” Betances said. “Obviously, I haven’t done it since spring, so it was good. First one, I got myself in a situation. I balked, so that means I’m in form.”

A four-pitch walk to Bohm came next, but Betances got out of the inning without allowing a run, retiring Hall on a sharp comebacker.

In all, Betances threw 19 pitches, 11 for strikes. With Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre still in the playoffs and Trenton headed for its championship series, Betances will get the opportunity to continue his rehab assignment, his next outing likely coming Sunday or Monday depending on the teams’ schedules.

He compared Friday’s outing to an early Spring Training appearance, but he believes there’s enough time left in September for him to round into form before the postseason begins.

“I don’t know where I’ll be velocity-wise, but if I can get a couple more ticks, I’m going to get guys out,” Betances said. “I can throw my breaking ball; I threw some good ones today. The hard one to strike the guy out, and I threw some good slower ones. I probably need to be more consistent with that one, but I’ll get some guys out, for sure.”