When the fastball pushes speed guns into the mid-90s and comparisons to Hall of Fame great Pedro Martinez surface, it is almost impossible to live up to the hype.

Ask Phil Hughes and Doc Gooden about having to fight big league hitters in addition to the buzz that smothered their major league debuts, which Yankees right-hander Luis Severino will make Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium against the Red Sox.

“When fans hear comparisons to Pedro and Roger [Clemens], they expect that from Day 1,’’ Hughes said by phone from Toronto.

He should know.

When Jason Giambi got his first look at Hughes in a spring training intrasquad game in Tampa, he described the right-hander as a “young Rocket.’’

Of course, Hughes, a first-round pick in 2004, hasn’t come close to Clemens’ career. Just like Severino likely won’t touch the greatness of Gooden, a first-round choice of the Mets in 1982. But hype is what seduces us. Young pitchers who stand in the middle of the diamond equipped with electric stuff and a big buzz demand that we watch.

“Don’t pay attention to the names on the back of the jerseys. You are here for a reason, don’t pay too much attention to the scouting reports and pitch to your strengths,” was Gooden’s advice to Severino via phone from his Long Island home.

According to two scouts who saw Severino pitch often this season for Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Yankees weren’t wrong to slap the untouchable tag on the 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic, who went a combined 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 19 starts, including 7-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 11 SWB starts.

“I love Severino. He is the best pitching prospect I have seen all year. The power fastball is around 94 to 96 mph, and he can get it to 97. The breaking ball and changeup are good,’’ a scout said of the 6-foot, 195-pound Severino. “He is not a physical guy, but everything is quiet. The changeup is the last pitch to develop, and this year he is using it against left-handed hitters.’’

Another scout understood why the Yankees wouldn’t move Severino at the deadline, even for David Price, who could have provided something the AL East leaders don’t have: an ace.

“He is an excellent prospect with a power arm and potential for plus command and control,’’ the scout said. “Secondary pitches are impressive. Provided he stays healthy, he will have a long and successful major league career.’’

Brian Cashman admits the organization is looking forward to seeing Severino in the big leagues, but warned Severino isn’t coming to front a rotation that hasn’t been able to provide length and has been bailed out by the lineup and bullpen.

“We are excited, but at the same time he is a young kid. He is not a finished product but obviously has talent,’’ said the GM, whose club is 5½ lengths up on the Blue Jays and Orioles after Monday night. “He has a high ceiling. You hope he helps us every five days and gives us a chance to win. I wouldn’t expect a No. 1 or No. 2 type starter.’’

Recently, the same type of hype belonged to Noah Syndergaard, the young Mets heater who made his debut May 12. The 22-year-old tossed 5 1/3 innings of three-run ball in Chicago against the Cubs in a 6-1 loss.

“I would tell him it’s basically the same game,” Syndergaard said of advice to Severino. “People will tell you that time and time again, but you don’t realize it until you get here. Until I was warming up at Wrigley, I was real nervous, and then all of a sudden I got out there and it was as normal as ever.

“There is always that hype you would like to live up to. He’s highly touted, and it’s nice to live up to those expectations with that title of being a prospect coming up.”

Hughes remembers more about doing a press conference the day before his first start than the game itself.

“I know I gave up a home run to Vernon Wells,’’ said Hughes, who gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 6-0 loss.

Hughes was glad to pass along to Severino advice his father gave him upon entering the big leagues.

“Just get your head somewhere in the middle. My time in New York was up and down, and it helped to keep my head in the middle,’’ said Hughes, a Yankee from 2007 to 2013 and now with the Twins. “Don’t get too down and don’t get too high.’’

Gooden was so amped about facing the Astros on April 7, 1984, at the Astrodome, he couldn’t wait for the team bus to leave the hotel at 5 p.m.

“I asked how far the Astrodome was and they said 3 miles. I walked and jumped the fence. The security guards wanted to know what I was doing. I told them I was pitching for the Mets that night,’’ recalled Gooden, who allowed a run, three hits and fanned five in five innings of a 3-2 win. “That night and the All-Star Game were the most nervous I have ever been, more than the World Series.’’

Severino won’t have to jump a fence to get inside Yankee Stadium. That doesn’t mean he won’t be immune to the same nerves that ran through Hughes’ and Gooden’s bodies when he steps on the Yankees Stadium mound Wednesday.

Additional reporting by Mike Puma