This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK – David Bednar’s new teammates don’t just call him “El Oso” because of his burly frame and effective repertoire. The nickname, Spanish for “The Bear,” fits the way he stalks the ninth inning, growling through traffic and rarely permitting escape once he’s on the prowl.
“He’s amazing,” said Fernando Cruz. “He’s nasty. He has everything a high-leverage guy needs. We’re blessed to have him.”
Acquired from the Pirates at the Trade Deadline, Bednar has settled in quickly, holding opponents scoreless in 11 of his first 14 appearances as a Yankee.
Bednar has posted a 3-0 record with five saves, a 2.70 ERA and 25 strikeouts over that span, validating the Yankees’ belief that he could be a bullpen force down the stretch.
“I think the biggest thing is just playing meaningful games here in September. It’s a really, really cool opportunity,” Bednar said. “The talent we have in this room is really special, and I’m just very fortunate to be a part of it.”
Across five seasons with Pittsburgh, Bednar pitched to a 3.01 ERA with 101 saves in 276 appearances. He was never a fun at-bat, said Cody Bellinger, who had two hits and two strikeouts in eight at-bats against him.
“He has three really good pitches,” Bellinger said. “He can throw any for a strike at any time. At that point, it’s the cat-and-mouse game. He makes it difficult.”
Though the Yanks’ Aug. 1 contest in Miami was a game they’d rather forget, one in which each of the club’s Deadline pickups played a part in a 13-12, extra-inning loss, Boone recalls seeing Bednar’s scouting report play out immediately: easy-going in the clubhouse, bulldog on the mound.
“I learned a lot from him in the first outing,” Boone said. “He gives up the home run [to Javier Sanoja], gives up the lead and is like, ‘Let’s go back out.’ I think he got six outs in that game. He was unfazed by it. It was like, ‘Man, just keep going.’ He’s got that kind of presence to him.”
That gritty effort is one of five outings Bednar has compiled of four or more outs with New York; he did it just once with Pittsburgh this year, on June 19 at Detroit. Bednar said he doesn’t mind being asked for more.
“By any means, whatever it takes to help this team win,” Bednar said. “However I can help, I’m ready to be a part of it. I’m all for it.”
Through the weeks that followed, the Yankees have seen more defined roles come into focus. For example, in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays, Luis Gil worked six innings of one-run ball, then turned it over to Luke Weaver (0.2 IP), Cruz (1 IP) and Bednar (1.1 IP).
The next day, it was Max Fried for seven innings, then Devin Williams and Bednar for one inning apiece – different mix, but the same outcome, a Yankees victory. It won’t always work (see Tuesday and Wednesday vs. Detroit), but the blueprint is being ironed out in real time.
“I think the biggest thing for me is just being ready anytime the phone rings, whenever that is," Bednar said.