Right now, the pace is unsustainable. Incomprehensible, even, when considering the scope of a full season.
Brent Headrick, one of the left-handed relievers in the Yankees’ bullpen, has already pitched in 12 of their first 18 games to start the season, putting him on pace to tie the MLB record of 108 that the Dodgers’ Mike Marshall set in 1974. That won’t happen.
The Yankees’ early schedule, with days off worked in, helped space Headrick’s availability, but the 28-year-old has also flashed durability that he thinks will be replicable for the games he ends up pitching in — even with it being his first full season as a true one-inning reliever.
He sits first in the majors in appearances by a reliever and entered play Wednesday eighth in strikeouts (12), and after a spring training where Headrick received plenty of praise from manager Aaron Boone, he has delivered promising early returns.
“You’re not gonna be 100 percent every night, but just being the best version of yourself each night that you can,” Headrick told The Post before the Yankees’ 5-4 win over the Angels, where Headrick tossed a scoreless eighth and lowered his ERA to 1.74. “We prepared for this. We prepared to pitch one inning, like I said, multiple days a week and things like that — and one-plus even if I need to. So I think we’re ready for it.”
Headrick doesn’t have a goal for how many games he wants to pitch this season.
He threw 108 ¹/₃ innings as a starter in 2022, so innings wouldn’t be a concern — but rather an ability to bounce back health-wise from one outing to the next.
Headrick struggled a bit with that last year when shifting from the rotation to the bullpen, Boone said, but he already noticed an improvement.
His season opened with eight consecutive scoreless appearances across seven innings, and after allowing runs during his next two cameos, Headrick rebounded with a scoreless frame Tuesday.
Headrick has now thrown four back-to-backs during the first three weeks of the season, too.
“Brent’s been excellent,” Boone said. “He’s been one of those guys that kind of has grabbed a key role down there and been real consistent.”
In a Yankees bullpen still filled with plenty of questions, Headrick has a chance to keep carving out a significant role. He’ll need to avoid fatigue with the mounting workload. He’ll need to navigate any growing pains that inevitably pop up when hitters adjust to his two-seam fastball — which he’s throwing more to lefties and righties this year, he said — and his four-seam fastball, while mixing in his slider and his new splitter.
But after the first chunk of the season, he already has a foundation to work with — even if it’s an unfeasible pace for the marathon ahead.
“It’s a long season,” Headrick said. “I just try to stay as neutral as I can with everything, and just try to go out there and do my job and execute. Because I know that when I’m at my best, I can do that.”