NEW YORK -- There were some people who wondered if right-hander Luis Severino was getting tired. It had been a while -- 2018 to be exact -- since he pitched a full season. In fact, in his previous three starts prior to Saturday¡¯s action, Severino allowed a combined 14 earned runs in 13 innings, surrendered five home runs and saw his ERA climb from 3.58 to 4.17.

However, it looks like the Mets have nothing to worry about when it comes to Severino. He gave the Mets length on Saturday evening, throwing a shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Marlins at Citi Field.

It was Severino¡¯s first shutout since May 2, 2018, when he went the distance in Houston with the Yankees. Before Severino had his best game as a member of the Mets, the last pitcher in the team¡¯s history to throw a shutout was Jacob deGrom on April 23, 2021 against the Nationals.

Severino threw 94 pitches through eight innings, and manager Carlos Mendoza looked him in the eye to see if he wanted to go one more inning. Severino didn¡¯t hesitate and said, ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±

The answer wasn¡¯t good enough. Mendoza then followed Severino all the way to the batting cages near the locker room and wanted to make sure the right-hander wanted to stay in the game, and he did. Mendoza responded by saying, ¡°Give me everything you got.¡±

But it looked as if Severino wasn¡¯t going to be out there long because he hit the first batter he faced in the ninth, Jake Burger, with his first pitch. Mendoza came out to take Severino out of the game, but before he got close to Severino, shortstop Francisco Lindor told the right-hander to convince the manager that he wants to stay in the game. Severino stared at Mendoza, asking him to give him another chance.

¡°I know once he was staring at me like that, he wanted one more hitter,¡± Mendoza said.

Severino stayed in the game and the Citi Field crowd yelled, ¡°Sevy, Sevy, Sevy.¡±

Severino didn¡¯t disappoint the fans. Jes¨²s S¨¢nchez struck out looking before Jonah Bride popped up to Pete Alonso at first base. The final out came from Derek Hill, who struck out swinging to end the game.

¡°I was forced to compete for everybody. I was feeling good, but to hear my name out there got me to where I needed to be,¡± Severino said.

After the final out was recorded, Severino reacted as if he won the World Series, and there was Mendoza giving Severino a big hug. Mendoza saw firsthand the struggles Severino went through his previous five years with the Yankees. Severino was known for tipping his pitches and missing a lot of time because of injuries.

¡°I feel good. I feel healthy. I haven¡¯t felt like this in [a while],¡± Severino said. ¡°When you feel healthy, it¡¯s better to compete. I was working during the offseason -- working on my tipping and my secondary pitches. I added a couple more pitches -- sinker, sweeper and a little bit of the cutter. I wanted to throw it a little bit more. Getting into the mind of the hitters got me a better view of the game.¡±

Severino was under control the entire time he was on the hill. Miami had runners in scoring position twice in the game, and they never came close to scoring. Severino allowed four hits and struck out eight batters.

"A lot of early, weak contact, pull-side contact. He struck out some guys as well, but overall, just pounded the strike zone,¡± said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. ¡°I mean, he had [94] pitches through eight, and then you go down the ninth inning. I mean, he was fantastic today. Elevated the fastball when he had to, two-seamers were good, slider/cutter combination was fantastic. Just a really tough day for us, really good day for him.¡±

By the fourth inning, New York had given him a four-run cushion to win his eighth game of the season. Lindor gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning by hitting his 24th home run off Marlins right-hander Max Meyer. An inning later, Alonso reached a milestone by hitting his 100th home run at Citi Field to give New York a two-run lead.

After tripling in the third, Brandon Nimmo scored on a single by Jesse Winker, while Lindor scored the final run on a double by Mark Vientos an inning later.

But it was Severino who gave the Mets the length and rested their bullpen.

¡°That was unbelievable. It was superb. He had command of all of his pitches. He was lights out,¡± Alonso said. ¡°When I looked up in the sixth inning and I saw his pitch count, I said, ¡®Oh, god. He has a shot to go the distance.¡¯¡±

Severino executed his pitches perfectly, and he went the distance.