NEW YORK — Brent Headrick entered 2026 as the kind of bullpen arm teams carry for depth, not because they expect history. The Yankees had claimed the left-hander off waivers from Minnesota in February 2025 after the Twins designated him for assignment. A year later, he has become one of Aaron Boone’s most frequently used relievers and one of the most dependable arms on a postseason-contending pitching staff.
That transformation showed again Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Cam Schlittler gave the Yankees six scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Mets, and Headrick followed with another clean frame before Paul Blackburn and David Bednar finished the shutout. Ben Rice and Austin Wells supplied the offense with solo home runs, while Bednar recorded his 34th save. The victory improved the Yankees to 86-63 and lowered their magic number for a playoff berth to one.
Headrick’s inning barely registered beside Schlittler’s dominant start, but that has been part of the left-hander’s value all season. He has repeatedly taken the baseball in the middle innings, bridged games to the back end and absorbed a workload few relievers have matched. He entered Sunday with 73 1/3 innings and a 1.96 ERA, then lowered the ERA to 1.94 with another scoreless inning.
The Yankees did not project this kind of season when they grabbed Headrick from the waiver wire. He had a 5.97 ERA in fewer than 30 innings with Minnesota from 2023-24. His first year in New York offered a hint of something better, with a 3.13 ERA, a 32.6% strikeout rate and a 7.6% walk rate in 17 appearances.
Now, with 13 regular-season games left, that waiver claim is closing on territory occupied by some of the most trusted relievers in Yankees history.
A DFA decision turns into an unlikely Yankees win
Headrick’s rise carries another layer because of how cheaply the Yankees acquired him. Minnesota designated him for assignment in February 2025 to clear a roster spot, and New York claimed him off waivers on Feb. 11. No trade package was required. No prospect left the organization.
That type of move usually sits on the edge of a roster. Headrick has instead forced himself toward the center of the Yankees bullpen.
His 2026 improvement is not built only on favorable batted-ball results. His batting average on balls in play has risen from .260 last season to .324 this year, yet his run prevention has improved because opponents are making weaker contact.
Average exit velocity against Headrick has dropped to 88.0 mph from 89.4 mph last season. His hard-hit rate has fallen to 37.0% from 40.9%. He has also reduced his four-seam usage by roughly 15 percentage points while leaning more on his slider and splitter.
His slider gained 2.4 mph, and opponents’ slugging percentage against it dropped from .500 in 2025 to .310 this season. His splitter has produced a 47.1% strikeout rate while allowing a .265 slugging percentage.
Headrick moves within four clean outings of history
Headrick has made 62 scoreless appearances this season. The Yankees record is 65, shared by Mariano Rivera and Tom Gordon in 2004. Boone Logan recorded 64 scoreless appearances in 2012, while David Robertson had 63 in 2011.
That leaves Headrick three scoreless outings from tying Rivera and Gordon and four from owning the record outright.
The math makes the chase realistic. Headrick has appeared in 76 games through Sunday. If the Yankees use him six more times over the final 13 games, he would finish with 82 appearances. He would need four of those projected six outings to be scoreless to move past Rivera and Gordon.
His current pace is far stronger than that requirement. Sixty-two of Headrick’s 76 appearances have been scoreless, an 81.6% rate. Even with normal late-season bullpen management, he does not need to pitch every night to make history.
The Yankees also have incentive to keep using him. Their remaining schedule includes three games at Minnesota, three at Arizona, four against AL East-leading Tampa Bay and three against Baltimore. Those games can shape both postseason seeding and the division race.
A second Yankees record remains farther away
Headrick’s workload has put another franchise mark within sight, although the path is steeper. Paul Quantrill made 86 appearances for the Yankees in 2004, the club record for games pitched in a season. Headrick has 76 with 13 games remaining.
Six more appearances would take him to 82, a total that would show how heavily the Yankees have relied on him without reaching Quantrill. He would need 10 more appearances to tie that mark and 11 to break it, an aggressive workload over the final two weeks.
The scoreless-appearance record is much closer and better reflects what has made Headrick’s season unusual. Rivera’s 2004 campaign ended with a 1.94 ERA and 53 saves. Gordon posted a 2.21 ERA across 80 appearances that same year. Headrick is approaching their shared scoreless mark without working as the Yankees closer or primary setup man.
That is what makes the chase stand out. The Yankees did not acquire Headrick to anchor the bullpen. They claimed a discarded arm, gave him a role and watched him turn routine middle innings into one of the more unlikely record pursuits of their season.
With 13 games left, Headrick no longer needs a dramatic finish. Four more scoreless appearances would move him past Rivera and Gordon and give a former waiver claim a Yankees record of his own.
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