HOUSTON -- Before we go into how Luis Severino was able to do something no Yankees starter had accomplished in more than a calendar year, an important backstory needs to be told.
Prior to Severino throwing the Yankees' first complete-game shutout since Masahiro Tanaka in April 2017, pitching coach Larry Rothschild drew up a game plan for Wednesday night that included some major tweaking from how the young ace was instructed to attack Houston Astros hitters in past seasons.
Remember how Severino's short-but-oh-so-sweet rookie season in 2015 led to return trips to the minors in 2016 because his changeup needed a lot of developing?