The New York Yankees are embracing the opener as a means of breaking right-hander Luis Severino out of his year-long slump, manager Aaron Boone confirmed before Wednesday night's game.
Severino, who was slated to start against the Chicago White Sox, will not take the mound in the first inning. That honor will instead go to reliever Ian Hamilton, in what will be his second career big-league "start." (Hamilton also served as an opener back on July 1.) Severino is then expected to enter when Hamilton's night is complete, theoretically putting him a better position to succeed. It's unclear how many innings Hamilton plans to throw before giving way to Severino.
Prior to the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone conceded to reporters that Severino was unhappy with the decision but was willing to go along with the idea. "I hope he's the impact guy that we know he can be," Boone said when asked about Severino's likely role after Wednesday's outing. "I expect that to be as a starting pitcher. Hoping [today] is something that can change the look for him."
Severino, 29, has posted a 7.74 ERA (55 ERA+) across 13 starts this season, marks well below his career norms entering the year (3.39 ERA, 126 ERA+). He's been particularly poor as of late, surrendering at least five runs in three of his five most recent appearances. Yankees manager Aaron Boone had been noncommittal about Severino making this start -- clearly Boone was being forthcoming, at least to an extent, when he made those comments.
The "opener" strategy originated with the 2018 Tampa Bay Rays. The thinking behind it is that it helps the "bulk" pitcher -- that is, the individual like Severino who is expected to work four-plus innings -- by limiting their exposure to the top of the opponent's lineup. That's important since pitchers historically perform worse the more often they see the opposition in a game, and a team's best hitters tend to be located at the top of their order.
Of course, the "opener" itself isn't a failsafe strategy -- there are various reasons why it hasn't swept the league the way that it once seemed primed to. It's also not going to magically morph Severino into his better self. That said, you can't blame the Yankees for trying something different -- particularly when they enter Wednesday some 4 1/2 games back in the hunt for the third and final American League wild-card spot.
