NEW YORK — At its face, the Yankees’ 7-6 win over the Reds in 10 innings on Wednesday was everything they could want.
It was another come-from-behind victory, their MLB-leading 27th. It included contributions up and down the lineup, and, by earning their 62nd win, they matched their best-ever first-half start with four games still to go. It was their 11th walk-off win, and even though the winning run came home on a wild pitch, they still got to celebrate with a mob at the plate.
For extra flavor, DJ LeMahieu scored the winning run on the day he turned 34.
But even all that couldn’t quite quell the dark pall cast over Yankee Stadium just before the third inning when Luis Severino came out to warm up, started throwing and then motioned for the trainer.
The diagnosis, for now, is right shoulder tightness, according to the Yankees, but a further MRI Thursday will paint a clearer picture. What’s certain is that pitchers and shoulder injuries are a combustible combination and losing Severino, who was finally healthy this year after pitching only 18 innings in the previous three seasons combined, would be a significant blow to this rotation.
Before allowing four runs in two innings Wednesday, he was 5-3 with a 3.11 ERA, fully recovered from the various travails that have hounded him since his 2018 All-Star season. He missed almost all of 2019 thanks to first rotator cuff inflammation and then a lat strain, and spent 2020 and 2021 essentially recovering from Tommy John surgery.
But first, the good stuff: The Yankees scored five runs in the third to erase a four-run deficit, and even though JP Sears coughed up that lead by allowing two runs in the fifth, the Yankees were able to tie it in the eighth, when Giancarlo Stanton uncorked on Ian Gibaut’s letter-high fastball – leading off the bottom of the inning with a homer into the first row of the short porch in right.
Clay Holmes came into pitch the ninth and barely skirted out of trouble, again showing the command issues that cost the Yankees the game Tuesday – a development that just added to the team’s pitching concerns. But Michael King (6-1) wriggled out of trouble in the 10th to set up the win.
Alexis Diaz intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo with one out and, facing Stanton, threw one wild pitch to advance the runners and then another to score the ghost runner, LeMahieu, with the winning run.
Still, the bitter taste of Severino being immediately – and concerningly – unsteady lingered.
He walked Jonathan India to lead off the game and letting up a clean single to Brandon Drury. One batter later, after the runners had advanced on a groundout, Joey Votto hit a grounder up the middle to force a run home. Severino then walked the next batter before getting Tyler Naquin to ground out to second to strand two.
That, though, turned out to be just a sneak peek for a truly disastrous second inning for Severino, whose velocity was down on all four of his pitches. He allowed three straight homers to lead off that frame – from Kyle Farmer, Mike Moustakas and Stuart Fairchild, who notched his first hit of the year and first career homer – to make it 4-0. The three homers came on three different pitches: a hanging slider, a knee-high changeup, and a 92-mph fastball up in the zone. It was the first time the Reds hit back-to-back-to-back homers since 2019.
Severino attempted to pitch the third but quickly noted something was wrong and was dispatched to team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad as JP Sears took over on the mound. His fastball, which averaged at a little over 96-mph this season, averaged at around 94, while his changeup was down a little more than 2-mph, as well.
Severino’s struggles, though, were no match for the Reds’ third-inning ineptitude. The Yankees were able to touch up Mike Minor for five runs then, erasing the four-run hole. Only one was earned.
Joey Gallo walked and LeMahieu singled before Aaron Judge was called out looking on a missed call – a recurring issue this season. The Reds, though, picked Judge up – India booting a potential double play ball by Rizzo to score a run. One batter later, Gleyber Torres tacked on an RBI single to left. Josh Donaldson walked to load them and then Isiah Kiner-Falefa laced a bases-clearing double to left to give the Yankees the 5-4 lead.
That, though, was short-lived: India doubled off Sears to lead off the fifth, Brandon Drury walked and, after Tommy Pham struck out looking, Joey Votto hit a ground-rule double to score India and tie the game. Tyler Stephenson hit a deep sacrifice fly to center for the go-ahead run.
