Yankees: Luis Severino continues his Cy Young-worthy season

Over Luis Severino’s past 12 starts, which dates back to Sept. 3, the 24-year-old Yankees ace is 9-0 with a 1.75 ERA. As a whole, in his previous 23 starts, Sevvy leads all major league starters with one run or fewer allowed.

On Saturday, versus a Rays’ offense that has only scored one run its last 21 innings, the Yankees Luis Severino continued to stifle the opposition — this time tossing eight innings of three-hit ball, walking two and striking out nine.

Six of his nine K’s concluded with 99-mph-plus fastballs. Of Severino’s 102 total pitches, 71 of them were for strikes.

At one point during Severino’s 10th win of the season, tying him with Corey Kluber of the Indians for the American League lead (Max Scherzer of the Nationals also has 10 wins), Sevvy retired 11 consecutive hitters before allowing a single with two outs in the seventh inning.

I shudder to think where the Yankees would be without their clear-cut No. 1 — a man that continually draws the oppositions best and is capable of a remarkable performance each and every time he takes the mound.

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The Yankees single-season record holder for strikeouts, Ron Guidry (248), recently waxed poetic about Severino to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.

"“One of these nights, that kid’s going to walk out on that mound and God’s going to touch him and something magical is going to happen,” Louisiana-born former Yankees starter Ron Guidry said about Severino."

Following the Yanks 4-1 victory versus the Rays, moving them to an AL-best 46-20 record, .697 win percentage, Sevvy moved to 10-2 with a 2.09 ERA, 0.929 WHIP and 118:25 K:BB ratio in 99 innings pitched.

In regards to where Severino currently ranks compared to the American League’s other top pitchers:

• 1st, HR per 9 IP — 0.455
• 1st, FIP — 2.17
• Tied for 1st, Shutouts — 1
• 2nd, WAR — 3.9
• 2nd, ERA — 2.09
• 2nd, Adjusted+ ERA — 202
• 2nd, Sit. Wins Saved –2.5
• 2nd, Base-Out Wins Saved — 3.0
• 3rd, Adj. Pitching Runs — 23
• 3rd, Adj. Pitching Wins — 2.6
• 3rd, Hits Per 9 IP — 6.091
• 3rd, IP — 99
• 4th, WHIP — 0.929
• Tied for 4th, CG — 1
• 5th, Win/Loss % — .833
• 5th, K’s — 118
• 7th, K per 9 IP — 10.727

No matter which metrics you value and which ones you push aside, it’s clear to see that Severino at 24, is running neck and neck with elite veteran right-handers like Kluber (32) and Verlander (35).

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Following Severino’s breakout 2017 third-place Cy Young campaign, should he and the Yanks keep up their current pace, there’s no reason why Sevvy can’t finish atop the voting this time around.