Mets' Luis Severino Gives Honest Assessment About Playoff Competitors

The Mets' stud right-hander doesn't seem to be overly concerned with the other teams in the playoff race.

Sep 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Luis Severino (40) reacts after retiring the side in the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are in the middle of a thrilling playoff race.

As of Monday afternoon, New York is tied with their hated rivals, the Atlanta Braves, for the third and final NL Wild Card spot with identical 78-65 records. The Mets additionally are within striking distance of the higher Wild Cards; they trail the Arizona Diamondbacks (second Wild Card) by just a game and a half, and they are only two games behind the San Diego Padres (first Wild Card).

But even though the Mets would certainly benefit from other teams helping them out (by beating the teams they're competing with), that hasn't crossed the mind of key starting pitcher Luis Severino.

"I think for us right now, we're not worrying about who's winning and who's losing," Severino said to the media after New York's 3-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. "Right now we just need to win series. Even when we were not even in the talk of being in the playoffs, we were just trying to win games. And if we continue to do that, if we continue to focus on our team, not worry about what the other teams are doing, I think we’re going to do good."

"We're not worrying about who's winning and who's losing right now. We just need to win series. That's what we're doing."

Luis Severino talks about the NL wild card race and what other teams are doing around the Mets: pic.twitter.com/twRhar6yW1

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 8, 2024

Severino, for his part, was excellent in his start on Sunday, pitching 6.2 innings of one-run ball while striking out eight. Despite ultimately settling for a no-decision, he received a well-deserved standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd as he walked towards New York's dugout.

The right-hander's postgame comment was in response to a pair of momentum swinging events in the Wild Card race. The first event was the Mets seeing their nine-game winning streak come to an end, as Phil Maton allowed a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning. The second came mere minutes later, as the Braves walked off the Toronto Blue Jays in extra innings to tie New York in the standings; both teams have 19 games remaining and will face each other in a monumental three-game set at Truist Park on September 24-26.

Despite the implications that every Braves game has, Severino prefers to focus on his own team; with the Mets still in control of their destiny, this is a great mindset for Severino - and the rest of the team - to have.