CHICAGO — The best part of this season, Giants’ reliever John Brebbia said, is that it has felt normal.
“Knowing I can wake up and know I’m going to feel like this today and it’s usually correct,” said Brebbia, 32, who threw a scoreless first inning Sunday night as an opener against the Cubs. “Whereas like last year, it was like, cross my fingers it feels good. We’ll see, because it was so variable.”
It has been two years and a smidge more than three months since Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery, the notorious elbow procedure that comes with a recovery time of a year or more. And on Sunday, his duties as the opener for a bullpen game — his fifth time doing so this season — represented his 66th appearance of the year, the most in the majors and matching a pre-surgery personal best.
In other words, anything but normal, at least in some ways.
“With all the work and many of the challenges and not that far removed from major surgery, he’s been an effective major-league reliever and our guy pretty consistently between the sixth and the eighth inning,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “It’s not always the case, but so far he’s managed the workload really well and I think he’s holding up well.”
Along with closer Camilo Doval, Brebbia has been the one effective holdover from last season’s league-best bullpen. Jake McGee was designated for assignment in July; on Saturday, the Giants released Dominic Leone. Overall, the group has gone from a 2.99 ERA last season to a 4.24 mark this year, fifth-worst in the majors.
But through it all, Brebbia has been the unlikely Mr. Reliable.
How has a guy in his first “normal” season since major surgery become the biggest workhorse in the Giants’ bullpen?
“A lot of listening,” Kapler said.
First and foremost, Brebbia’s ability to return to his pre-surgery form is a testament to his work rehabilitating himself (this season, he has also prioritized his slider, a change in his pitch mix suggested by the Giants). It’s also a credit to the open lines of communication instilled by Kapler among the players and the coaching and medical staffs.
“One of the things we pride ourselves on when it comes to our relievers,” Kapler continued, “is what are they saying about their availability? What are they saying in the training room? When we have our medical meeting, we talk about volume week over week and who is particularly taxed … We just measure it all.”
Echoed Brebbia: “They’re always checking in.”
“I haven’t felt like Tommy John has determined how I felt any given day,” Brebbia continued. “I feel like it’s been the workload that determines how I feel, which is probably my favorite part about this season.”
Sunday was the Giants’ 14th bullpen game this season. Brebbia has opened five of them, more than any other reliever.
“I enjoy it, so if (Kapler) wants me to open, then I’m great with it,” Brebbia said. “I come in (from pitching), knock out a workout and arm care, soft tissue, then it’s the seventh inning. I can kick back and watch some baseball.”
With a little less than a month to go, it is all but certain Brebbia will set a career-high in games (“if I don’t break my leg going down the stairs,” he joked, showcasing his signature wit). If he keeps up at his current pace, he’ll lead the league in appearances, too — an honor bestowed on Tyler Rogers the past two seasons.
For eternity, his stat line for 2022 on Baseball-Reference would have bold italics in the “G” column.
“Hopefully I can look at my kids and be like, ‘Oh yeah, check it out, led the league one year,’” Brebbia said, stroking his thick, red beard and laughing. “But if I can’t, that’s also completely fine. I’m not hanging my hat on anything.”
