Luis Severino played catch in shallow right field with catching instructor Jason Brown as pitching coach Larry Rothschild locked in on every throw.
The Yankee Stadium stands were empty and first pitch was still three hours away, but since that first pitch would be thrown to a Baltimore hitter, this was the main event Wednesday. Such is the awfulness of the Orioles and the magnitude of Severino.
Credit the Yankees for generating the majors’ best record without a pitch yet from their ace. It speaks to depth of talent and character. On Wednesday, the Yankees beat the Orioles 6-5 thanks in part to a key two-run left-on-left single by Mike Ford off Richard Bleier and superb defense from second baseman Thairo Estrada, promoted before the game.