AL Wild Card
NYY -1.5 -120 (3u) W / under 7.5 -110 (2u) L
The playoffs are finally here and the Twins travel to New York to face the Yankees in an elimination game for the chance to meet the Indians in the Divisional round. 23-year-old Severino makes his postseason debut for the Yankees, who has had a stellar season as their ace with an elite 10.71 K/9 and 22.9% K-BB%. He faces a 12 year veteran in Santana, who has quietly put together a 16-8 season to go along with a 3.28 ERA.
Although Severino and Santana's ERA may be similar (2.98 vs 3.28), their xFIP tells a different tale (3.04 vs 4.77) which can be attributed to their BABIP (.272 vs .245). Severino may lack the postseason experience, but has a ton of talent and owns the 4th highest WAR for a starting pitcher at 5.7, almost double of Santana's 2.9. The Yankees feature a much deeper and more talented lineup, especially with Sano out, and have a definite advantage in their bullpen with Chapman/Betances/Robertson to shorten the game. The Bronx Bombers should be able to take care of business at home behind their young ace in a low scoring game to move on to the Divisional round.