WEST SACRAMENTO -- As Luis Severino handed the ball to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay with one out in the seventh inning on Wednesday night, the crowd inside Sutter Health Park rose to its feet for a standing ovation.
Before reaching the dugout, Severino acknowledged the fans by tipping his cap in appreciation after setting up the A’s for an eventual 6-0 win over the Astros.
When the A’s signed Severino to a three-year, $67 million deal this offseason -- the largest guaranteed contract in franchise history -- they envisioned such moments on a somewhat regular basis.
That did not end up being the case. Severino went through his ups and downs, especially at home, where he held a 6.51 ERA in 14 starts entering Wednesday’s outing. In his final start of the season, however, the 31-year-old right-hander blanked Houston across 6 1/3 innings on three hits and one walk with five strikeouts. It was his first scoreless performance at home and by far his best while pitching here.
“I’m going to go to sleep really happy tonight,” Severino said with a laugh. “I feel good. I think I finally figured it out. I think I just need to play Houston at home to get me going. But I’m really happy.”
Severino’s struggles at home were well-chronicled. Early in the season, he attributed some of those issues to adjusting to an unfamiliar ballpark, later taking accountability while assessing his first half -- a 5.16 ERA through 20 starts -- by stating he “needed to be better” for his team.
Soon after, Severino was better. Following his final outing before the All-Star break against the Blue Jays, Severino said he believed he had discovered what would turn around his undesirable season. The solution was simple: Start attacking hitters more with his fastball.
Since then, Severino has looked like a completely different pitcher. He posted a 3.10 ERA (17 earned runs in 49 1/3 innings) in nine starts after the All-Star break, working around a stint on the 15-day injured list, with an unblemished 6-0 record over that stretch.
“I love the way it finished for Sevy,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “He had that tough stretch through May. We all went through it together, and it impacted our season. But to turn the page, move forward and finish off the year the way he did tonight, I was really impressed.”
Perhaps the unexpected climate played a role in Severino’s successful home finale. For the first time all year, West Sacramento experienced rainfall during an A’s home game. The rain was at its heaviest during the bottom of the fifth, which saw the A’s spark a three-run rally off against Astros ace Hunter Brown on a ground-rule RBI double by catcher Shea Langeliers, who went 4-for-4 and finished a triple shy of the cycle, and a two-run single by Brent Rooker.
“That was really weird,” Severino said. “We’ve played here for six months and 80 games and I haven’t seen any rain. Maybe it was a little good luck for us.”
Despite a rocky overall first year with the A’s, Severino did throw some of his best games against their division foes. He posted a 1.85 ERA (five earned runs in 24 1/3 innings) in four starts this season against the Astros, who are now essentially on the brink of elimination from playoff contention as a result of Wednesday’s shutout.
“When we signed Sevy, he talked about wanting to pitch against Houston and the division,” Kotsay said. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t the type of game that we would have liked where we’re competing for a playoff spot tonight. But the mentality was there. He showed up and performed.”
Optimism spread widely when the A’s brought in Severino to be their Opening Day starter and ace of the staff this offseason. The hope entering the season was that after a few rebuilding years, the club was ready to make a push for the playoffs.
The A’s fell short of that target, now 75-83 on the year, but the momentum is building for 2026, both for Severino and this young squad that is now 33-21 since July 24, fifth-best record in MLB over that period.
“I think everybody knows what we can do,” Severino said. “Other teams know what kind of threat we are. I feel like we have the same mentality for next year. We’re going to come and compete. We figured out what we need to do on the field. There were a lot of question marks at the beginning, but now we know.”