The New York Yankees are holding Luis Severino bobblehead night on Friday! Just don't look at the box score from Thursday.
Friday night is bobblehead night in Yankee Stadium. The man of the hour? Luis Severino, the two-time All-Star pitcher who has spent his entire eight-year career with New York.
Severino has been a reliable arm over the years and a staple in New York's ever-changing rotation. He has absolutely earned the honor of having his head immortalized in non-biodegradable plastic for the tens of thousands of fans in attendance.
Fortunately, Severino won't be on the mound. He pitched in Thursday night's 14-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles and, as you may have guessed from the final score, it wasn't Severino's best night.
New York Yankees hold Luis Severino bobblehead night after all-time bad game
The Orioles put up 14 points on the Yankees Thursday night. Severino only pitched the game's first 2.2 innings, during which he allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits and a walk. He struck out three, but there's no silver lining after such an onslaught of base hits and home plate touches.
It was one of Severino's worst games ever, and a huge contributor to his paltry numbers on the season: 1-4 with 7.38 ERA, 12.2 H/9, 19 walks in 42.2 innings pitched. The Yankees are honoring a man who has been with them for the long haul, but it's probably the most unfortunate (and hilarious) timing possible for this event that was undoubtedly planned months in advance.
Yankee fans are not particularly enamored with Severino at the moment. He's not likely to get the warmest reception from the home crowd faithful on Friday night. A few of those bobbleheads might end up int he Yankee Stadium garbage cans.
Severino's name will naturally inspire speculation ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline. He's pitching worse than he ever has and New York is in desperate need of consistency on the mound. Other teams can probably talk themselves into Severino's long track record of success — not to mention the potential benefits of a change of scenery — but his time with New York could be approaching an unceremonious end. Especially if nights like Thursday continue to be a trend, rather than a ghastly aberration.
New York's latest roster maneuvering already hints at potential contingency plans for Severino. The 29-year-old is on the last year of his contract, so there's no point in the Yankees holding on unless he's part of the long-term plans. That doesn't feel practical right now.
Severino's trade value can't get much lower, but the Yanks might have the bite the bullet anyway with his current level of play.