Brent Headrick's three-game debut as a big-leaguer in April left him certain about what he needed to do when he was returned to Class AAA: learn a new pitch.
"I want to stay a starter, so you need a third pitch to be more effective," he said Saturday, shortly after being recalled from the Saints. "I figured it was time to add something. So I've been developing a splitter."
It's been going well, the lefthander said. "I've been able to kill some speed difference, get some more depth on it, add to the repertoire," he said. "It's good for keeping hitters off-balance. Working on that, to go with my fastball and slider, has made me more effective."
So he was ready for the Tigers when summoned on his first day back, and sure enough, Headrick was effective. He faced eight hitters, struck out a couple, walked one and gave up only one hit, a Miguel Cabrera double.
And how many splitters did he throw? Exactly zero.
"I didn't need to throw it!" he said after being awarded the game ball by manager Rocco Baldelli for recording his first major league victory. "Our game plan dictated something different, so we just went and attacked their weaknesses, I guess."
Of his 35 pitches, 24 were fastballs, 10 sliders and one changeup, according to MLB's StatCast system. More important, 24 of them were strikes.
"He threw a ton of strikes, but even though he was in the strike zone, there weren't a lot of great swings off him," Baldelli said, describing his memory of Hendrick's April debut, when he earned a three-inning save at Boston.
