New York Mets color commentator Ron Darling was not pleased with the club's starting pitcher, Luis Severino, during Wednesday night's 6-2 win over the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.
Severino, who earned his sixth win of the season after tossing 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball, made a mistake that cost the team a run in the top of the fourth inning.
With two outs in the inning and the Nationals' Lane Thomas on first and Keibert Ruiz on second base, Severino allowed a single to Washington first baseman Juan Yepez, which sent Ruiz around third to score. Mets right fielder Tyrone Taylor's throw home skipped past catcher Francisco Alvarez to the backstop, only Severino was not there to back up his teammate.
Darling let him have it on the SNY broadcast.
"This is inexcusable...100% of the time, when you give up a hit that can score up a run or a play is at third, 100% of the time, you have to back up."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 11, 2024
Ron Darling criticizes Luis Severino for not backing up home, allowing a run to score.
Part 1. pic.twitter.com/xMumIAXfPC
"This is inexcusable," Darling said. "All it takes is a little hustle by a pitcher. 100% of the time, when you give up a hit that can score a run or a play is at third, 100% of the time, you have to back up."
One play later, Severino once again did not back up home plate after a single by the Nationals' Iledmaro Vargas, though this time a run did not score for Washington.
Part 3:
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 11, 2024
It continued in the bottom of the inning.
"It's unconscionable that you'd do it once. To happen twice in a row, I don't even know what you'd say to that...He gets an error, Tyrone Taylor, for his hustle to get to right field to try to save your rear end." pic.twitter.com/vaCfLJGKtG
Fortunately for Severino and the Mets, these mistakes were not costly enough for the club to lose the game. But the veteran pitcher still had to answer for them after the contest.
“At first I thought it was getting caught that throw and then after that, I saw everything that happened, but of course, that’s on me," Severino said. "I should’ve done a better job tonight."
The Mets play one more game against Washington on Thursday before playing their final series of the first half against the Colorado Rockies.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mets Announcer Bashes Luis Severino for Costly Mistake During Win Over Nationals.
