Everyone knows hindsight is 20/20, but that likely won’t help Mike Francesa on Wednesday.
The New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday in the American League Wild Card Game despite the fact starting pitcher Luis Severino gave up three runs and recorded only one out before being yanked in the first inning. But earlier in the day when a fan called into Francesa’s radio show on WFAN in New York to (prophetically) ask who the Yankees might turn to turn if Severino gets into trouble in the opening frame, Francesa skewered him.
“Why not ask me if the first batter hits him with a line drive, who are you going to bring in?” Francesa said. “I mean, it’s a ridiculous thing to bring up. He’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball. They are going to let him pitch.”
It is pretty impressive the caller nailed down exactly what happened, but he probably was going off an informed opinion. Severino failed to get past the fifth inning in three of his 31 regular-season starts — which is more than Francesa confidently believed — and the most recent one was Sept. 20 when he pitched just three innings against none other than the Twins. There’s also the fact that Severino is 23 years old and was starting his first ever postseason game.
It should be interesting to see in Francesa has anything to say about the matter Wednesday.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
