FLUSHING, NY — You tend to always hear about that unique New York baseball fandom, and how those living in the City That Never Sleeps take the game to a whole new level — examining, and critiquing each pitch on every at-bat.
As we have seen in the past, if an athlete performs well and their respective New York baseball team succeeds, New Yorkers will cheer them on, while reining them in glory, but once that certain individual starts to slack off, or struggle in any way, the boo-birds begin to formulate. It doesn’t matter what you did yesterday, or in your most recent outing…
The 30-year-old right-hander Luis Severino, who has spent the entirety of his nine-year MLB career in New York, pitching for the Yankees throughout his first eight Big League seasons (2015-2023), and now, for the Mets in 2024 — knows exactly how that unique New York baseball fandom feels on a personal level, and surprisingly enough, the Dominican Republic native thrives off it.
“The fans, the fans man. I love the fans. I love how straight they are to you,” Severino replied when asked ‘what makes New York, New York for you,’ on Thursday afternoon prior to the Diamondbacks-Mets series opener at Citi Field.
Our one-on-one interview with Luis Severino on Thursday at Citi Field – Image Credit: Julio César Chino Pérez
“You know, if you do good, you’re good — if you’re bad, you’re bad — there’s nothing in the middle. I like that drive, it keeps me going right. If I go out there, and they are booing me, that means I have to work harder to get better.”
A New York Mentality. The two-time All-Star has continued to put his New York grit on display by remaining the same Sevy — even at his high and low points — when getting booed off the mound during poor performances, or when receiving standing ovations for dominant ones.
Regardless, after each start, whether it has come with positive or negative results, Severino doesn’t let the outside noise get to him. And just as much as the NY baseball fans are straight with him, Severino is straight with them. He keeps his head high, and chin up. All in all, that’s what New Yorker’s instill in their everyday mindset.
Luis Severino has a 2-2 record this season in 10 starts with a 3.22 ERA and 50 strikeouts – Image Credit: Simon Lindenblatt/Latino Sports
You can never get too high, or get too low when viewing one’s performance on a particular day. There is always another day. For Severino, it is tomorrow, Friday, May 31st, as he takes the mound for the Mets (23-33) in game two of a four-game set against Arizona (25-31) at Citi Field in Queens.
More on our Interview with Severino 🇩🇴⚾🗽
Later in our one-on-one interview, Severino revealed that his favorite players to watch while growing up in the Dominican Republic were Robinson Canó, and Pedro Martínez.
Luis Severino pitching in 2023 Subway Series at Citi Field – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
We then discussed the significance of Dominican Republic-born MLB players continuing to make a name for themselves year-on-year, as the top players in the game.
Are you proud to see the trend continuing on: “Oh 100%,” Severino stated. “We are a baseball country.”
“We play baseball, just knowing that those guys are making it here — that’s what makes us happy. We got a lot of kids chasing their dreams out there, and they believe that they can make it. It brings us joy seeing it.”
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
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