Aaron Boone took no satisfaction in telling Luis Severino that his night was done despite working on a no-hitter through seven innings of work, but stuck with the hard cap that he had set on his valued righty in just his third start back from the 60-day IL.
“No, it just still is a decision that sucks to have to make,” Boone said. “He was very efficient, too. The decision would have been if he was through eight at that point. I didn’t want to go more than 90 with him today. I was gonna let him try and finish the seventh no matter what.”
Boone was seen having a long conversation with Severino after his seventh of inning of work, coming back to the dugout with 94 pitches on his right arm. Severino wanted to go back out and try for history, but Boone had to stand firm with the former Cy Young candidate who hasn’t pitched a full season since 2018.
“The biggest thing I told him – obviously he wanted to stay in and go back out there - I wasn’t gonna take him to 120-135 pitches,” Boone said. “That’s where it probably would have had to go to finish something like that.
“Had it been in the eighth, that would have been a decision, and if I felt like he was sound, would have let him go.”
It was hardly the decision Boone wanted to make, but with eyes on the playoffs, one night of disappointment and what-ifs felt like a necessary sacrifice for the greater goal.
“It puts a little damper on the night, honestly,” Boone said. “It’s not a fun thing to have to do…to be the one to shut that down is not fun, but one you have to do.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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