This was all foretold — at least Severino’s contribution to the story, anyway — by a caller on Mike Francesa’s WFAN radio show in New York on Tuesday afternoon.

“Let’s just say, inning one, right away, you can tell Severino doesn’t have it,” the caller asks. “Do you go to [Yankees reliever] Sonny Gray first or would you go right to Chad Green?”

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Francesa, who already had predicted that Severino “was gonna go deep, he could go as many as eight innings,” scoffed at the notion as only Francesa can.

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“How many games this year did Severino come out in the second inning, out of his starts?” Francesa asked. “I guarantee you none.”

(Francesa is correct! Severino’s shortest start this year was May 14 against the Astros, when he gave up three runs on six hits and was pulled after just one out in the third inning.)

“This year, I would say that 95 percent of Severino’s starts, he went at least five innings. Ninety five percent. Maybe more than 95 percent. It might have been 30 out of 31 stars, or whatever it was,” Francesa claimed.

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(We’ll give this one to Francesa. Severino lasted at least five innings in 28 of 31 regular season starts, or 90.3 percent. Close enough!)

“So the idea of asking me why you’re gonna take him out in the first inning … it’s a ridiculous thing to bring up, it really is,” Francesa scolded. “He’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball. They are going to let him pitch, that’s why he’s pitching this game. I mean, there’s nothing not to like about what he’s done this year all the way down the line, and I would expect him tonight to go out there and really throw a heck of a game. I really would. I would be surprised if he didn’t go out there and throw seven innings, and that’s how many innings I think he’ll pitch. I think he’ll go seven innings, and I’d expect a typical Severino performance over those seven innings. That’s what I expect.”

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