Ex-Yankees Hurler Won't Say Who He's Rooting for in World Series

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Former New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino was an integral part of the New York Mets making it to the NLCS this year.
Severino — who went 54-37 with a 3.79 ERA and 788 strikeouts in eight seasons with the Yankees — went 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA in three postseason starts for the Mets this month.
However, this wasn't enough to help the Mets past the Los Angeles Dodgers and set up a Subway World Series against the Yankees.
An October 21 article from the New York Post's Mike Puma detailed a comment Severino back in July about a potential Subway World Series, saying, "For me, if we’re not winning the World Series I would rather the Yankees win the World Series. I have made a lot of friends there, not just players, but coaches and staff that I stay in touch with, so if we don’t win it I would want the Yankees to.”
Although Severino wasn't as firm about this stance when asked about it again this weekend, as Puma wrote in the story, "Severino declined to say if he would be rooting for the Yankees in the World Series."
While the 30-year-old didn't convey whether he'd be rooting for his former team, he did convey why he thinks the Yankees will beat the Dodgers.
“They have got guys that are healthier,” Severino said of the Yankees in the article. “Juan Soto is Juan Soto and [Giancarlo] Stanton is unbelievable in the playoffs. I think when you have a team like that getting healthy... I think they are in a good spot.”
Severino made waves in July when he told SNY that the Yankees, "only have two good hitters."
Luis Severino is in a group chat with some members of the Yankees that told him he was "afraid of them" after not starting in the first Subway Series at Citi Field. Severino's response?
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 19, 2024
"I'm not afraid of you guys. Right now, you only have two good hitters." pic.twitter.com/ND9234kDM8
The Yankees advancing to the World Series shows they've already had the last laugh over that comment.

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee. You can follow him on X: @GrvntYoung