New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino is in the midst of a Cy Young caliber season, entering Friday with 14 wins, a 2.31 ERA and a whopping 144 strikeouts in just 128.1 innings.
This is obviously bad news for Boston Red Sox fans, who will have to deal with an ace in Severino for years to come. And like it or not, Red Sox fans can thank two of their very own legends for developing Severino into a superstar.
In an interview with Scott Miller of Bleacher Report, former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz and Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez detailed how they worked with Severino to help develop him into an ace.
Ortiz said that in watching Severino, he saw another talented pitcher from the Dominican Republic, but knew he had to refine his delivery. 'Big Papi' set up a meeting between Severino and Martinez in 2016, following a miserable season for the future star.
"Big Papi … told me, 'I can see what he's doing. I can see the ball. He's exposing the ball,'" said Martinez. "Big Papi said, 'I want you to help this kid. I've gotten to know him, and he's a good kid.'"
Martinez was impressed when Severino showed up two hours early for their appointment, and it didn't for the three-time Cy Young winner to see what Severino needed to work on. From Scott Miller:
"Having watched Severino closely on video, Martinez decided he could fix some of the things Severino did incorrectly. Pedro told Severino to move his hands closer to his body to conceal the ball longer in his delivery. He was pushing them out too far. Then they went to work on his changeup and other facets of his game."
Severino then added that he began to focus on hitting the catcher's glove, which helped him earn better command. Now, Severino and Martinez have a close friendship, which the former saying they can talk "for hours," about anything, and that their wives have also become good friends.
Martinez added that as a Hall of Famer, he feels his job is to help the next generation of pitchers develop. And even though Big Papi is helping out a player for the arch enemy team, he has a good reason for helping out Severino.
"Let me tell you how this game goes. People sometimes get mad about you helping a kid, but it doesn't matter where he plays," Ortiz said.
"No, no, no. Baseball is a fraternity. We are not worried about who is going to be who. We are more worried about getting the game better. I have recommended so many guys to Pedro; I couldn't even tell you."