DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Yankees have said there are no favorites when it comes to the final two spots of the rotation. All five candidates will be treated equally and there is no private rooting for one over the other.
Then Luis Severino took the mound like he did Friday at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium against the Blue Jays and the first pitch to Kevin Pillar goosed the speed gun to 99 mph. Two batters later, Jose Bautista made Severino pay by missing on the inner half of the plate with an opposite-field, two-run homer to right on a 97-mph heater.