Hold My Cutter
The Renegade!!!
Step into the bullpen with us as David cracks open the playbook on his pre-game rituals and the split-second decisions that define a game. The magic happens when a pitcher and catcher's confidence align, and Bednar takes us behind the scenes to reveal how this partnership dictates the flow of the game. From choosing the perfect walkout song to the psychology of a save opportunity, this conversation is a masterclass in the artistry of pitching that transcends the stats and scores.
There's nothing quite like the camaraderie of the bullpen or the surge of energy from a blackout crowd on opening day. As we wind down, David shares anecdotes that highlight the Pirates' profound connection to their community, a relationship that goes beyond baseball. Whether it’s the infectious spirit of a bobblehead night or the impact of meeting a young fan with dreams as big as his, you'll feel the pulse of Pittsburgh in every story. So, settle in and let's celebrate the city, its team, and the pitcher who embodies the indomitable spirit of both.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
Step into the bullpen with us as David cracks open the playbook on his pre-game rituals and the split-second decisions that define a game. The magic happens when a pitcher and catcher's confidence align, and Bednar takes us behind the scenes to reveal how this partnership dictates the flow of the game. From choosing the perfect walkout song to the psychology of a save opportunity, this conversation is a masterclass in the artistry of pitching that transcends the stats and scores.
There's nothing quite like the camaraderie of the bullpen or the surge of energy from a blackout crowd on opening day. As we wind down, David shares anecdotes that highlight the Pirates' profound connection to their community, a relationship that goes beyond baseball. Whether it’s the infectious spirit of a bobblehead night or the impact of meeting a young fan with dreams as big as his, you'll feel the pulse of Pittsburgh in every story. So, settle in and let's celebrate the city, its team, and the pitcher who embodies the indomitable spirit of both.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
Well, this episode, we're thrilled to be joined by two-time pirate, all-star closer, David Bednard, who is enjoying our smoke featured smoke on the week and this David Bednard is the number six here at Burn by Rock. It's a Marte. It's a Marte. It's a Marte. We'll tell Rocky that's what we're going to call it now. It was voted the best of Duran's Cigar by Cigar until 2020. It's a 93 points by Cigar Fischinato. It's a Duran-grown Carrojo-wrapped with thicker rock than a Duran-bar. It's a really good-smoke. What do you think? So, Dave, you're not like a real Fischinato, but you like this smoke. Yeah, I was going to say, I was going to guess this is a Marte. We handed him the number six and it goes ah, the Marte, he's got the power point. Yeah, I got it.
Speaker 2:You have the power point. They're fired up. They're fired up.
Speaker 1:So, well congratulations. Recently you got through the arbitration process. You enjoyed a real honey dog. What was the offseason?
Speaker 3:So far it's been great, just relaxing. I was going to say earlier we took a trip to Italy, kind of our real honey, and that was an unbelievable experience. Other than that, we took a little trip from Nashville and then I just been going to a lot of Steward's games. It's a Fens game that's similar to. So it's been a great offseason.
Speaker 1:How about if you could do an Italy couple which is different from the greater one?
Speaker 3:Just unbelievable. Just the history, the food, just everything. I thought the craziest part was you go out to eat and then you're walking around right after you eat, the ability to go to beer like 27, and still stay, christine, christine.
Speaker 1:They built things different back then. It's true.
Speaker 3:It's really unbelievable. And just the food. Everything is just so fresh, big food guys. It's just so fresh. What was your favorite food there? I mean the weird Florence was this place that was so truffle, malty and like a big T-bone steak. It was a Florentine steak, come on, it was all the abs, the bread, the oil, the wine. It was everything was so fresh and it got humbly and wildly hot. I'm hungry now.
Speaker 3:I know that was like after your first trip to Europe, in case you were traveling in Europe. Yeah, she's going to work at Traveler, so that was my first time and thankfully she was back to record traffic and she was. She did all the work. I was really impressed because we got there and I was like, alright, what do we do? She had a whole itinerary book and all the books were on the book and so it was awesome. She spent some time in Barcelona. She was in Paris, but she's traveled a little bit. I got North Hill, south Hill and stuff. I got to go to the Shulard out and see Europe and go through the Fort Bit Tunnels.
Speaker 1:I got to go through the tunnel. That's like $2. Well, you know it's funny because people consider you a Mars guy and I guess you are now. But you really have. You're a rare breed because you're a, you're a South Hills board guy.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, huh. Yeah, I'm a Lebo guy, bro. I'm a Lebo, oh okay.
Speaker 1:But do you like to let the word out, or is that yeah?
Speaker 3:He said it very easily yeah, yeah, no, I'll take some ties to Lebo and then my dad's from the rocks and Donald's from St Clair, so I'll get some ties to all the South Hills and the Shulard rocks. It makes me like a bugger now. Yeah, no, through and through. Definitely more of a Mars guy, though. Do you like, david? Do you spend, of course, different now than your new married but do you?
Speaker 1:get an opportunity still to spend time with your family, to spend time with mom and dad, sister, brother, will, who's in minor leagues with the Giants Do you still get a chance to see everybody during the offseason yeah.
Speaker 3:Family and friends have been so supportive throughout the whole thing. They're all way of a come and then the offseason, kind of the same thing. I mean, they're 10, 15 minutes from us, so try to make a point to stop by and spend some time with them Gacy's parents, who are, you know, in Mars as well, so it's been awesome. It's been a great offseason, kind of relaxing. And then my siblings are around now will's home for the offseason and Danielle's a sophomore at Louisville, so she just went back. But it's around the holidays, it's a lot of family time, so it's been really cool.
Speaker 1:It's neat that you know David doesn't sound like he has any interest or intent on leaving the Pittsburgh area.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:And we got a guy here, michael McHenry of course, the former Pirates catcher who now makes his home in Pittsburgh, he and his wife Jacqueline. So I've talked to Bob Walk about this over the years. Bob could never understand what the why. You've got everything you need here in Western Pennsylvania. Why in the world would you want to go somewhere at this? Absolutely, it's paradise.
Speaker 3:Yeah, what more could you want All the seasons? You got all those four scenes of black and gold. Now, of course it helps if you get to go to Florida in the middle of February.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I see light. That's the only plug you got the I see light.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, Cheers my friend Burned by Rocky Patel. You got Leonard Lee, our producer, here behind the scenes. We're talking to David Bednar and enjoying our number six that Fort has. Fort loves nicknames by the way I do, I do. He's got nicknames before I do Fire nicknames, so we're right away number six as a Marte.
Speaker 2:It's a Marte. Yeah, we got the Renegade here. It's absolutely perfect. It's a great day. We got the.
Speaker 1:Renegade Got a thousand questions for you. I know you've answered a thousand of them, but when you got traded over Got you.
Speaker 2:You'll get used to it. Yeah, I know I was with Fort the first time.
Speaker 1:He had a smoke. It was not easy.
Speaker 2:My first couple were this summer Him and C Blast used to smoke four games and just talk about everything really just, I guess, solve the world's problems. What?
Speaker 1:you guys do you know? Usually a president would call in Ask their advice. David, before we go on the air, we solve the world's problems. We do, we mown and ripe and everything else, and then, hey, it's go time. We flip the switch. It's go time, exactly.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 3:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:But so anyway, he had an opportunity to have his first cigar earlier this summer.
Speaker 3:It wasn't easy, but he's adapted very well, now you're a pro.
Speaker 2:I like to pretend like I am, that's for sure.
Speaker 3:You fake it till. You make it Exactly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure I have to be tough Pittsburgh or?
Speaker 3:now. Now you're gritty.
Speaker 2:I'm a gritty guy now.
Speaker 1:So now you get the trade over from the Padres to the Pirates and you're not named the closer right away. It takes some time. What is that process like when somebody comes to you and says, hey, what do you want to use for your walk in?
Speaker 2:Real quick. I remember somebody me and you talking about a guy was a closer out at a camp. Oh yeah, remember that. We said that guy's going to be the head.
Speaker 1:That guy's going to shut it down. Obviously the Pirates know it too. Yeah, you kept working on the breaking body.
Speaker 2:I didn't even know the splitter was there that much. He didn't throw it that much, I'm like, and he's got a splitter. We were all in at that moment.
Speaker 1:I'll never forget it. I appreciate that yeah no problem, just saw it. That splitter, by the way, you said. Was it Hideo Nomo? Oh yeah, I thought you were going to do the splitter. How about that?
Speaker 2:That's so cool. How'd that?
Speaker 3:happen. This was right after I got drafted. It was like your first Instructional League camp. I had same mix fastball curveball. I was throwing a slider that was just very similar to my curveball but slow. During catch play, one of the things I always tried to work on is trying to find a change up or a harder slider, a harder out pitch. I was really struggling with it One day we were at Instructs. I was just messing around with a splitter Instead of a change up. I could never get the pronation down to throw a change up. Our pitching coordinator, eric Young, was like hey, I know you're trying to throw a splitter. We got this guy. Who-? He?
Speaker 1:got a guy. Yeah, he got a guy. He got a guy. You know what?
Speaker 3:Hideo Nomo. I've never heard of him. He had a pretty good splitter I guess. Yeah, I know One bullpen right after he showed me his grip and we talked through what his visual process was and what he thought and everything like that. It was just one of those things that it's not a feel. He just kind of just rip it and just kind of rip it like a down heater. It kind of just it clipped right away. That was kind of the key to climbing the three different speeds and separation between them and it helped me immensely. I mean, that was huge. So he was still a special assistant, so he would kind of come to an affiliate two or three times a year and you know, every time I throw a little side before the game or whatever. And we kind of refined it, just talked just little adjustments and how the grip was going, yeah, no. So that's kind of how that came to be and it's really cool and just kind of crazy how it all happened.
Speaker 1:When that happens, dave, you see it kind of clicks right away, essentially when Hadeil and Elmo showed you this, and when this happens, you don't hear that a lot with splitters. What kind of a moment is like you go like this is a game changer isn't it?
Speaker 3:Oh, absolutely, I was like man that actually looks pretty good on the hand and like the coordinator was there too and he was like that looks pretty good and funny enough, I think I have the video somewhere because he just took a video on my phone, on his phone, and just so like I would just have it and can look back to some of the cues and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:So it's just a really cool moment altogether A dumb question maybe, but was Elmo speaking some English?
Speaker 3:Yeah, he speaks good English. He had his translator there, but you know, he definitely understood what I was saying. I think it was just to get the true point across and what? But yeah, no, he spoke good English.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what were some of the cues? I always love that and here's a ball if you want to play around with it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so his grip is a little unconventional. And then another guy.
Speaker 2:And you stuck with that grip.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so another guy that I was with with the Padres Kirby Yates, who had a really good splitter still has a really good splitter.
Speaker 3:So I was fortunate to be with both of those guys in the minor leagues it was the NOMA one but also kind of talking to Kirby and picking his brain and seeing how we like you know just how we attack guys and what he thought to change it. But you know, the more traditional grip is kind of like just splitting the seams almost, but and that's kind of Kirby kind of hooks it a little bit. But the one that he showed me was kind of holding it like a fastball Sorry, this way and then just shifting it over and it kind of clicked for me because I like feeling the seams on my fingers.
Speaker 2:That makes sense.
Speaker 3:And then and I'm able just to think just stay behind it and just rip it right through it just like a, just like a fastball right kind of down the middle, and mine's a little bit goofy it sometimes it cuts, sometimes very rarely goes armside, sometimes it'll go straight down. But one of the things I've learned and I've picked up over the past couple of years is just whatever it wants to do, do it. As long as it's to the bottom of the zone. It's going to have some downward action and it cuts great. If it goes armside, great, go straight down. As long as it does something, I'm happy and it's the grip I've stuck with and obviously some modifications as you kind of go and as you go throughout the season, mainly with like thumb placement of more towards the bottom to the top, and the balls also have a little bit of impact because everyone's a little bit different.
Speaker 2:Everyone's a little different.
Speaker 3:Sometimes it just like it's sitting your hand, just like maybe I just need a little bit more on the side. Sometimes it's a little bit under, but ultimately at the end of the day it's just getting on top of it and just ripping it Like it's as simple as it is.
Speaker 2:It's a fastball thought.
Speaker 3:Yes, and so I think that's why it kind of clicked for me and just trying to just rip it right down through the catcher and saying, like you know, with everything I throw I try and stay in that lane. So it kind of fell right into that and so, yeah, it's been really effective throughout the minor leagues and it's helped me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's just gotten better. Yeah, and in the last two years it's taken almost a life of its own To be clear you want it down in the zone.
Speaker 1:You said Because I'm amazed. In the last few years it seems to me that a lot of guys maybe unintentionally are throwing splitters that appear up in the zone and maybe it just works and it almost gives you the impression. Are these guys intentionally trying to throw the splitter up?
Speaker 3:It's at least for me. I'm always trying to rip to the bottom, but sometimes you just don't get that rip through it and it just kind of squeaks out. But then it's a kind of a happy accident, like a backup slider. It's miserable when it kind of floats up.
Speaker 2:You want it to float into your barrel, because that's one of the hardest pitches to see, because they're so aggressive with the hand speed you can't see it. That's why, with him, you're trying to catch up to 98, 99, you know, probably chest high. And then, even if it's there, brownie, it's 10 miles an hour different. And it's going. Yeah, it seems to me. It just spits out at you.
Speaker 1:Many, many years ago, when I was even watching like Bruce Souter was the guy that was credited with the modern day splitter. It was always a pitch that was down in the zone in the dirt. You never saw rarely a split, but oftentimes, for whatever reason, and it seems to work as you say, maybe because of pitch speed and so on, and that's all. It's all about fulling guys. Who's the guy that that was splitter? When you caught that, you really thought this was nasty.
Speaker 2:Oh, one of the you guys might not even know is the lefty Reynolds. He's from Tennessee, he went to Austin.
Speaker 2:P. Yeah, Matt Reynolds. Yep, he had one of the best split fingers I've ever seen, because every time he threw it it was in the same plane and fell off the charts. I mean, almost he was so consistent with that. I've never seen anything like it. There was guys with power splitters, guys like him who can get away with a little bit more, but he couldn't. He was 88 to 92, but he got to big leagues because that splitter same thing really good slider, really good splitter played off his fastball but the best splitter I ever saw, because every time I'm blocking it.
Speaker 1:David, how important is it to have a guy that can catch confident, regardless, A guy at third base?
Speaker 3:I'm throwing that splitter or the curveball, whatever it is Curveball is one of the other To have a catcher that you have confidence in.
Speaker 3:Oh, it's huge. I think, especially whenever there's guys on second and third, and especially later in the game, whenever you can't afford to have a passball and guys advance a base, it gives you that little extra oomph on the end where it's just not even in your head. Oh, I can't bounce this. You're making an aggressive pitch, no matter what, and if it happens to be in the dirt, you're trusting the guy behind the plate to block it and keep it in front. I think that goes a long way, especially in terms of more or less just the conviction of the pitch.
Speaker 2:Do you already said passball? That's what they all are. There's no wild pitch, all passball.
Speaker 1:So you get by exactly right.
Speaker 2:Bednar, that's a gritty Pittsburgh in it. That's right One way Keep it in front.
Speaker 1:Well, he's also a rare closer, in that you've got three premium pitches.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's some of the boggles in my mind, because you could probably say it all day. There's not many guys that run it up 98, 99 and can touch 100 that have a feel breaking ball. You have a feel breaking ball, bro. I don't get it and I want everybody to see your grip. Nobody believed me, but it's a different grip too, right Do you?
Speaker 3:hold a little bit different. I changed grip up a little bit so almost looks like a football changeup.
Speaker 2:When you get out in front. It looks like you're holding it.
Speaker 3:So I do know my grips. It's pretty standard, just kind of just ripping, ripping that, that seam with my middle finger. I made the adjustment to go a little bit more deeper in my hand.
Speaker 3:I saw that this year I was like no way, it was kind of towards the end of the year because it wasn't having the same bite that I wanted to have, and so I grabbed it a little bit deeper and I've been able to make it a little bit tighter, but throughout my whole life, no matter how hard I've tried, I could not throw a curveball that was like harder than 80. Like it's just wouldn't. It's amazing, that's a gift. I used to be like come on, just give me a hard finger. It's a nice change of pace.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, so it's just one of those things that growing up my dad was always always in on like, like are we spin the baseball right? Like making sure, like that key called like the last 10%, and it was always like we spin the baseball right. And then we'd always like, like catch the curveball and make sure it was like in that same lane and just spin the baseball like making sure it's in that lane and path. Yeah, no, that's, and that's kind of still my same thought processes is just ripping that seam, and you know, I guess I would with the splitter and the heater, just keeping it all Just north, south and keeping it through the catcher.
Speaker 2:It's amazing, do you go out?
Speaker 1:David. So you're, you're called on renegades plan pnc park. You go to the mound. You've already thrown in the bullpen. In the back of your mind you're thinking, okay, splitter is good, but I Are you always going to the mound thing and I got all three In my back pocket. Or do you know when? When you arrive to the mound and you start warming up with the catcher, what's your thought process?
Speaker 3:So I guess that all kind of starts in the bullpen and uh, it goes from okay, I'm just trying to get my arm arm going, like making sure the heater's true, I'm not, I'm not cutting it, I'm not letting it run arm side. Can you see that I?
Speaker 2:love you guys, can't?
Speaker 3:you can see that immediately For the most part, and then also, uh, mess our bullpen coaches is, is on it too. So it's like if I'm seeing something a little bit goofy, I'll, I'll ask him and you know, he'll let me know whether it's okay, I'm, you're seeing her. If it's, if it's good, um, and then in the bullpen it's just like, okay, I'm just trying to feel the spin, for it doesn't have to be bangers off the rip, but as long as it's it's got that right direction. And then, and kind of same thing with the splitter. It's just is it down and is it? Am I getting that late action on it? Um, you know, not trying to be too fine in the bullpen, because you know it's. It's always the times whenever your absolute nails out there, you go, oh yeah, you go to the mound. It's like just, this is ray chart, um, yeah, so it's, it's kind of just getting like kind of dial it in from From the bullpen.
Speaker 3:And then, once you get on the mound, you have your eight and it's like okay, two, two heaters, okay, just, I just want to see a backspun through the catcher. Um, curveball, just I. Whenever I'm warming up, I just wanted to make sure I'm kind of landing. I have that, have it in in the strike zone and then splitter, same thing, just get into the bottom of the zone, and then it's usually like, okay, I always throw two of each. So I guess the first one's not what I want. I make sure I I have that. Make that correction. And the second one is you know, even if it's just a little bit over correction, I know, I know where that feel is. I got to get to Whenever they got better steps in and you know, but it's, it's not, it's never like ah man, I don't, I don't have this pitch because and then it's because it's just warm-ups, you don't, you don't truly know, until a batter steps in and and it's go time.
Speaker 1:We're talking okay, so renegade. How does that happen?
Speaker 3:Well, when I got, when I got traded over I think it was jimmy to jimmy tee who asked- me, jim Triton.
Speaker 1:It's a long time fired employee.
Speaker 3:He asked me. He goes Uh, what do you? What do you want your walkout to be? And I was. I never really put too much thought into it, but I was like Wait, this is a no-brainer, I love the steward, I know exactly. I know where I'm going with this, absolutely. It's, it's uh, you know it always got me fired up at steward games and it still does. Um, so I it's just automatic, and that's kind of just where it started, and Did you?
Speaker 1:think would morph into what it's gotten it. It's like crazy how much people love it and it's so different.
Speaker 2:It's so so long.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, it's, it's awesome and obviously the song hits hits a little bit different here in Pittsburgh and uh, it gets the insers going, that's for sure. That's, that's really what it's all about and honestly it gets me going. I just think of, uh, whenever it comes on like you mean the doubt in it's, I think of like James Harrison sacking Joe flacco, I'm like, oh, let's go.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love it, I love it.
Speaker 1:I yeah.
Speaker 2:I want to. Let's go back, so. So Seventh inning, eighth inning what's the routine? You see that it's your tie ball game or we're ahead. What are you doing to get ready? What's the mindset to try to get, I guess, into it, because you go from zero to 100.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, absolutely. And I think that kind of comes with time is figuring out like, okay, when you know I, no matter what I'm doing, like a base, just getting ready, because I the worst thing ever is getting caught off guard, and like just that, just, it's just, it's just unacceptable. So it's like, come on like you're gonna be ready to pitch, but uh, it's, it's kind of Over the past kind of two years I've been able to kind of refine my, like you know, pre pitch routine and it's it's always it's kind of started whenever I wasn't thrown, like the seventh, eighth, nine. It's okay, like I know I have to be ready to pitch by this inning. So, like what, what's the two, three previous innings look like?
Speaker 3:And so now it turns into, um, like in the sixth inning I'll go in the uh, in the tunnel right behind the bullpen, roll out with like a lacrosse ball or baseball Whatever, just kind of get it going. Then sit with the massage gun and just make sure like the body's just loose, and then, um, in the seventh I will, uh, I'll run, run around a little bit, do some jog back, pedal, shuffle, all that good stuff, get, get the legs moving and and then the bottom half, I'll do my uh j-bands and Throw some plyo balls, and or just throw my plyo ball. I always have a two pound Ball that I just like just chucking against the wall or just just can't ball for you.
Speaker 3:Just just simple and just I know if I, if I'm feeling good with that and the baseball is no problem. And also it's like If I know it's banging against the wall, it's just like at that loud thought I'm like let's go, we're good to go.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love it. And then, uh, you know, we have way too much in common, that's so good.
Speaker 3:And then, uh, in the eighth, as soon as holderman goes out there, uh, it's, I'll do, I'll throw some like uh, four, six pound medicine balls against the wall, just kind of really getting it going. And then, um, as soon as phone rings, bednarget, hot, it's uh, three of my two pound ball throws just as About as hard as I can into the wall, and then it's, it's go time, it's it's three, with the catcher up, one, one or two with them down, and then a couple heaters, couple curve balls, couple splitters and then Dude, waste time. No, I love it, it's right, it's right into it, yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, pirates lead by one run bottom of the eighth inning. You're loosening up, going, you're going to close the top of the ninth at pnc park and then there's a third. Suddenly there's a rally. Pirate score. Second and third. They now have a three run lead, one out. So there it is three run lead bottom of the eighth inning. Closing situation still in play. But you are a fly ball away from losing a closing save opportunity. You're telling me that that doesn't go through your mind. No, come on, I don't want another run, I want to save this sucker.
Speaker 3:No, we'll take anyone. We can get up whatever.
Speaker 1:Whatever it takes, I always wonder that I'm watching like come on your closure. It's your job and all of a sudden there's a save taken away from me.
Speaker 3:I think, uh, that that'll come in. That comes into play more of, uh, you know, like if, if somebody else is going to go in, if it's, if it's up for like what the what the previous workload is like, or If you know if sometimes it helps you for, yeah, get a day off, right I mean, but not really day off, just Because the pirates keep track of all this stuff.
Speaker 1:All teams do this, but so, even if you're loosening up in the bullpen and don't come into the game, they kind of count that as an up.
Speaker 3:I think. I think it depends on on how hot you get and what I think they and you have to know that in your own mind too, right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I think that's also kind of part of really knowing your body and knowing what you need to get in. And I think it's kind of, in those situations I always like to be like, you know, two or three away from being hot, hot and Not not getting into overdrive. And you know we get a rally and we score six runs in the ninth and it's like, okay, we're gonna send whoever's had the eighth back out there. Um, I think it's it's so then you're able to be fresh the next day and then if you need to go back to back, it's. It's all about kind of Like being as ready as possible but also knowing what that limit is of. Okay, I can still throw this many pitches and be good to go if I need to go back to back the next two days, or However it works because, uh, you just, you just never know.
Speaker 2:How long did that take you to learn? Because it's a big.
Speaker 1:Just goes.
Speaker 2:So that's transition to some minor leagues, to big leagues, maybe bigger than ever, because they're kind of protecting you down there, yeah, you're probably never gonna throw three in a row. Yeah, over here you may throw four in a row in the big league. So how did you kind of adapt that, because you kind of changed roles Pretty quickly? I mean you, you started out where you're kind of later innings, then you moved in that eighth and then in the ninth. How'd you figure that out?
Speaker 3:um, I think it goes to uh, you know, just looking at my teammates, I was I was fortunate San Diego to have some uh good veteran guys around and some guys who've been there, done that and kind of had A variety of roles. Like, like I said, kirby earlier. Like when I came up in uh September 19, like that was his all-star year, he was absolutely doing a like a one with a billion punch outs. So like I got to watch. I got to watch that uh him just kind of go about his business and how he prepared, um Kind of day in, day out, and then kind of the same thing with uh Craig Stamins, another guy who Um that guy's a legend to me.
Speaker 2:Oh man, he pitched every day and pitch every day with that goofy arm actually.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's unbelievable, just uh, just have so much respect for him and just how he just grinded every single day and that was something I really looked up to and you know I was fortunate to, you know, spend some time with him and you know, just watch how he went about his business and I think, uh, that's kind of how you learn the most is watching guys who have been there, done that and had success in the big leagues for a long time and I'm kind of able to go from there.
Speaker 3:And then, you know, once I got to Pittsburgh, still having you know those guys to look up to and, like you know, chris Stratton was a great guy to just watch how you know he'd take the ball every day and I think you know it's not always just in the during the game, it's watching them get their prehab, watching them take care of their business in the weight room, see the training staff like get all of the little stuff that you know adds up over time, because it's one 162 is the grind and you gotta, you gotta take it and if you, you know taking the day here and there is not a big deal, but you know, if you, if you kind of have that mentality, you know, once or twice a week it's like it catches up to you at the end. So just watching those guys kind of go about it and you know, just, just, just like. You know, like I said, just watching them go about their business and learning just by watching is big. And then once I got to Pittsburgh, it was, you know, like I said that's 21,.
Speaker 3:I was kind of throwing all over the place so just kind of being ready for whatever, whenever, and that was my first full season, so I was just kind of like getting a candy store, like just just happy to be there.
Speaker 1:I'm comfortable absolutely.
Speaker 3:I mean and obviously that's still my mantra, whenever you want, whenever the phone rings, I'm, I'm dialed in, I'm ready to go, but it it really took over in 22,. Just kind of just figuring out. You know that's kind of when I started throwing more exclusively kind of like the eight, nine, those lever jinnnings and going from there and you kind of just figure out as you go, you know what you need to be ready for that any given day and what you need to be, what you need to do to be ready for the next day and the next day and the next day, and you know how each one kind of the domino effect of how that all happens is is really huge. And you kind of only learn by just going through it and figuring out what you need on that day.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love it, I love it, brownie.
Speaker 1:David, when, when, when you got to that point, At what point did you start to think to yourself? You know I could, I may end up being a closer.
Speaker 3:I got a couple of save opportunities in 21. I was like it's pretty cool, I like this, I like this, I like this, this is awesome. No, I think it's. It kind of started there and it's like you, you never really know if your stuff's good enough until you actually go out there and do it and and then that kind of then that transforms into having the confidence in all of your stuff and knowing that you know you can get anybody out at any time and then you know, once and then that turns into being put in those leverages situations which are, you know, way different than you know. Obviously every ounce hard to get, but it definitely that was my first taste in 21 of like of those innings was definitely a kind of eye opening and seeing how and just how the hitters approached those innings a little bit more and just knowing what their mindset is and what they're trying to do, cause that's that's.
Speaker 3:that's one of the bigger things I learned this past year is just how to adjust to what they're looking for and cause it's this game's a never ending game of cat and mouse and who's who's going to try and figure out you Cause you know, just as we have Skyrim reports on them, they have Skyrim reports on us, and you always kind of just got to play that constant cat and mouse game.
Speaker 2:Well, since you went that way, there was a game that this year the Cubs they were catching up to your heater and they were kind of yanking everything pool side. You did make it a just me, so throwing your breakable more got them off balance. But when you're going into a game, whether it's the Cubs, the Cardinals, whoever you're facing, do you have a pretty good idea what you want to do with certain guys who you face? Well, who maybe has a upper hand on you? Or do you just kind of put all that on the catcher and just say, hey, this is my stuff, I'm going to go out and compete.
Speaker 3:For the most part. You know we do a good job of doing Skyrim reports, you know, obviously before every series. So I'll take my notes and I'll you know before each series I'll go through each hitter and you know, figure out, ok, I need to do this to this guy, this to this guy. Like you know, some things are better than others. You know, like maybe this guy handles heaters up. So you know, take that with a grain of salt, like it doesn't mean I'm not going to throw heaters up, but it's, you're going to throw that Brunswick in there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he can't hit that Brunswick. That's a good one. That's a good one. It's a different fastball. Yeah, worked on that. Spin your entire life. He loves that Brunswick.
Speaker 1:I like that one.
Speaker 3:No, but it's just kind of knowing. You know who you're facing and then knowing the situation too. That's something I learned this year is or the past two years is. You know one run lead, two run leads Like how aggressive can you be? And you know picking and choosing your spots to. You know go rafter guys and the high risk, high rewarder For the most part you know it's like you're not going to If somebody has a lot of swing and miss and it's a one run game but that's also where their slug is probably not the best spot to go.
Speaker 3:But you know we do a lot of preparation and you know, for the most part we're always on the same page with the catchers, because you know that's kind of what that meeting's for. And then kind of throughout the game we're kind of looking at the iPad, looking at trends and if some guy's doing something completely different that's not in his Skyrim report, it's like we're kind of talking about that throughout the bullpen. And then, right before I'm going to go out, mess will go through the three guys I'm going to face and we'll kind of talk through a quick little game plan and then by then it's go time and you know I'm trusting the catcher too, because you know he's been out there for eight innings and he's reading swings, he's reading guys' tendencies and he knows, you know, what my stuff's going to play. So that's something that you know. At the end of the day, it's whatever pitch he calls is.
Speaker 3:I think I can throw any of my pitches at any time. So I think and that's the biggest thing even if it's the right or wrong pitch, if I believe it's the right pitch, then it's the right pitch. It's having that confidence and conviction in it and just yes, I'm just going to let it rip. You're getting my best stuff and if you can hit it, hit it More often than not. I feel like that works in the pitchers' favor. Just having that conviction, I think you know. In my opinion, I think the hitters can feel that they can tell.
Speaker 3:Whenever you're timid and you know you're and then they also know whenever you're going right after them, and it's a different AB for sure.
Speaker 1:All right, so now philosophy here. Pirates tried it a couple years ago, I think you're involved. Other teams have tried it. The closer he's, the guide's looking for the hardest three outs. We're going to put him in if we need to get the last out of the seventh, the first couple outs of the eighth, depending on what the lineup is. I mean, teams have tried it, but David and Michael Haven't seen it actually truly succeed, and usually you guys correct me if I'm wrong it always ends up going back to that one guy to get that last Three-outs, regardless of what that lineup looks like. Is that true, I think? Uh, and what is it about those three outs, by the way? Why are those so tough? The last three?
Speaker 2:What is it century of getting those three outs? That's why it's different. Like I've seen guys be great in eighth inning and fall apart in the night. I'm back there behind the plate. We have to get creative. But like I think more than anything better. You correct me because you actually closed the game, but I look at the, the personality of the guy. Kenny handle different things. If he's high strung there's a great chance at anxiety level really creeps up in that last three outs. It doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:I mean, there are guys that are tremendous setup guys right, and then they go to the right of the night that it doesn't work because they try to be something they're not, and so just being who they don't. It is David.
Speaker 2:I, I think. But I think there's something to be said with the routine. Yeah, his routine changes as soon as you throw him in a different role. And if he's done the same thing over and over again, that's what he's used to, especially the setup guy You're kind of throwing them out there and saying good luck, like this is all different for you all at once.
Speaker 2:So, like he, kept saying so I learned, I grew, I learned, I watched, I grew. I think now he could adapt, but early on it's really tough. But I mean he's four years in.
Speaker 3:It's probably a little different when you say yeah, no, for sure, I think you hit on it too. It's, it's the routine aspect of it too. It's okay. You're always throwing this like you have your seventh inning guy, you're eighth and you have your ninth, and you know, I think there's. There's certainly spots that you know the game's different, like somebody might be down and you're always gonna have those spots. But uh, yeah, no, I think my, my mindset's always whatever you're gonna give me the ball, I'll take that, I'll take the rock. But no, I think there's definitely that comfort factor of knowing, okay, no matter what, if it's a tight game, I have the seventh, I have the eighth, I have the ninth, and you know, you see some other teams, like in division. I think of Whenever the Brewers still had hater. I think of that Boxburger Williams hater connection. No matter what, it was always that well, didn't the pirates have?
Speaker 1:the last three innings locked down in 13 foot, like Watson.
Speaker 2:I would say it came close to shark tank.
Speaker 1:What was that?
Speaker 2:Melancin was Watson, melancin grilly.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it was really good. We, I'll say right now, I think we have a version now with Maginski older men, yeah what I love about. It is same as those three guys are all different. Yeah you know you have a short arm, maginski, really, really sharp slider, a lot of life at the top. I mean you bring in the nasty sinker with the whole team and see.
Speaker 1:That's all that new, even bruntz I saw that you sweeper.
Speaker 2:He's been working on. It looks amazing. And then you bring that noran, who's, honestly, my opinion, a nigma yeah, because he throws a bowling ball fastball and has field of the breaking ball. And then there's a sliding splitter which you can't teach. It's like a teenage mutant Ninja Turtle. I.
Speaker 1:Chasing it from the renegade to the Ninja Turtles.
Speaker 2:I mean you tell me if I'm wrong. Going into 2024, when I look at our team, the biggest strength we have is our bullpen and I think it it morphed around you and Holderman really got close. I saw a lot of what I saw when I was here in 11, 12 and 13, where that was our strength, and there's no better feeling than if you can get that ball To the bullpen in the seventh. You know that game is probably 99% over, but some weird you have a lead through six innings.
Speaker 2:You feel really good about it. Yeah, you bring out the juggernauts.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's gonna be, it's gonna be fun to just watch all those guys like you know, like you know, like each year just makes a huge difference and just confidence getting your feet wet. I mean, especially for a guy like Carmen who just debuted last year, and just how much he was able to kind of progress throughout the year and, you know, start to handle those innings and You're able to see him handle some adversity too. And I Come to mind is that Reds game where they had to come big comeback and I think I was. I was down that day but just seeing him that poison, he had some traffic on the bases.
Speaker 3:But you know, those are the ones where it's like it's. It's not always the clean one, two, three's, you learn a lot about somebody but it's the sometimes those gritty outings where you know it's it's your stuff's not quite there. You get a little bad luck, some leaders and then, but no, that that was probably one of the more impressive ones to watch. For me is that you know dealing with those guys on the bases and digging deep and a Tough game and in a game that the Reds probably need to win too, because I was kind of down the stretch.
Speaker 1:How close do you guys get as the year goes on? So talk about those last three and then you add some crazy guys like big bank.
Speaker 3:How about that? How?
Speaker 1:about him pulling out a 20? No, did you see it, by the way, electric? Did you see you pull out a $20 bill? We?
Speaker 2:thought, we thought, I wanted.
Speaker 1:Last yeah, it was.
Speaker 3:It was unbelievable that thing that he throws outrageous.
Speaker 2:He's perfected the pitch. Nobody can hit it's unbelievable.
Speaker 3:It's unruly nasty.
Speaker 2:I thought was a change of entire spring training. I was like we know that's a slight looks like Devin Williams change up.
Speaker 3:In a sense it kind of does. It really does it, it's a spider it's been just good.
Speaker 2:It looks like it's gonna catch and go the normal way, but then it just keeps going like you walk back, you like what just happened.
Speaker 1:I don't know what to do. And you see this guy, you got hit, we got a barraki.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna take the ball anytime literally take the ball every single day, and how he just goes about it and just the left side you know what, he's a dog too, so it's like we got a.
Speaker 3:We have a bunch of guys down there and you know mess does a great job of keeping it loose and he never Be informed and you know Just the camaraderie that we have is it's a really tight-knit group and I think that's that's incredibly special, especially, you know, whenever you're picking up somebody's runs, if you know you, you guys are boys and it just has that little extra like I got to help my guy out.
Speaker 3:You know I think that also carries over the. You know the pitching staff as a whole was is, you know, really really tight-knit group and you know, like I said, like guy on second and third one out and it's like, okay, I, you know I gotta go put out shove up for my guy and and obviously to help the team win. But it's a little bit deeper than that too. So it's, you know I can't say enough about that group that we have down there. You know, not always everybody, you know, incredibly talented with the arms that we have is it's the group as a help as a whole is Just a lot of just good dudes and just awesome.
Speaker 1:Hmm now we got a. You know I hesitate to say anything about Nick names. I know how much Fort loves them, but we got in terms of a name for the bullpen. We got to let it be organic, yeah, like oh, we're not gonna.
Speaker 2:we can't force anything, just let it happen. So what I'm believe?
Speaker 1:Good, yeah, it's a lot to do with, I think with Malanis, and went on some trip. One winner.
Speaker 2:He loved. Sure, yeah, that's how I started. Yeah, they're all watching shark week.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just kind of looked like a shark.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So yeah, Shark tank works. Yeah, it's why whatever it takes.
Speaker 1:David, we're here at burn by Rocky Patel. Join the number six. This is hold my cutter. Oh yeah, and Doris, yep, the beautiful with Nick or I went under and binder and filler medium body cigar makes me laugh every time you say that. But what about this? Does one Save stand out in your pirates career so far? I know the first one was big at PNC Park and all but anything in particular is all kind of Now there's definitely a couple Little bigger ones.
Speaker 3:I mean just this past year, though the one that stuck out the most was the one of my bobblehead night. Oh, so I put a bobblehead to Rages awesome.
Speaker 1:How many of those did you get? Yeah, a couple of couple boxes.
Speaker 3:So hold on to those for a while. No, I was. I was really cool in just so many aspects. You know I had a bunch of family and friends come in. You know my parents, casey's parents, help set up big tailgate. They ran out the skull bar in Right feeling so that we did probably shoot.
Speaker 3:We probably like a hundred and hundred and fifty people there. Oh, it's amazing. And you know, obviously I was hoping to pitch that night and you know it ends up being a close game. And you know, come in the eighth and renegade plays and they, that was like one of the first Times they turned the delight show thing too. So that was just Awesome. And then, you know, get through the eighth and then Ninth, little gets a little hairy with the One-run lead and then get a big double play and to end, it was just Unbelievable.
Speaker 1:It's hard to script that, by the way. So you know, your bobblehead is one thing. If you're in the starting lineup the regular player what catch him? Okay? He's gonna play. Another thing is a pitcher. That's hard.
Speaker 2:But it worked out beautiful. What about opening day last year? Oh, 40,000 people, blackout, yeah the blackout cuts his back. Aj comes in, russ comes in. You being a fan, it had to be special. One and two like we won the game in a fantastic man. Yeah was that just something to like? Like what'd you guys say when you went back in the club?
Speaker 3:I'll like just that was just a yeah, you know I was. I was Beside myself because you know the blackout that the that coito game. Just Did you go to that game? No, I was a freshman in college. I was. I didn't come back for it. I wish I did. We'd like baseball.
Speaker 2:You'll have your. You have your moment.
Speaker 3:I know that that crowd was was really special and just seeing the reaction to coach was just so cool. I mean just what you know, what he means to the Pirates, what he means to the city is just it's For him to have that Ovation, just that the whole moment was just so cool and I made sure I stuck around in the In the dugout to watch, to watch that first day.
Speaker 3:Not miss that. No, that was really cool with a blackout. Just what an awesome experience and, you know, hopefully we got some more moments like that coming here soon.
Speaker 1:I think I really believed it when, when they signed them last year, I thought I Was thinking ahead to opening day and wondering you've certainly understood it, but too many People who were new to the organization, front office players alike, didn't have a clue what was gonna happen.
Speaker 1:We kind of did yeah, you know, these guys don't realize when they're on the, when you guys are on that foul line and his name is introduced Onto the foul line, wait till you see it, and then, when he gets introduced for his first at bat, they get to hit to oh with tears in his eyes.
Speaker 2:Unbelievable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's so crazy and you, you I think I read you were like 13 years old, I think in Mount Lebanon, a T-ball Did. He showed up for some that you had a picture taken with him.
Speaker 3:You're yeah, so yeah, it was. He was doing like one of those camps I forget even where it was but uh, they needed like some help People to like help run it and everything like that. So my dad being a coach, like he got Invited to help and I tagged along and it was like a younger kids clinic or whatever. But you know, at the end we all got a got. Take a picture, like with our like little group, with with coach and Well, I made sure to show him that picture as soon as he signed back.
Speaker 2:You know, something I love about you and something I take a lot of pride in is getting out in the community. You've dominated it and two-time Roberto Clemente yeah well, well deserved, like. What pushes you to that is it. Is it not necessarily just because you're from here, right? You just love getting out giving back and it fires me up every time, like I know, when something's going on, I'm probably gonna see your face, you and you in the parrot, or just about. Oh yeah, right, in separate times.
Speaker 3:No, it's, it's. It's a no-brainer for me, honestly, I think it's uh, I was fortunate to.
Speaker 3:You know, both my parents really kind of pushed that and like throughout my whole life They've always, you know, been about giving back and so having those role models, and now my wife is all about it as well.
Speaker 3:So it's like, you know, having that support group room that are like have that same common goal.
Speaker 3:And I think for me it's just I'm just so beyond fortunate to have be in this position, you know, not only just playing professional baseball but playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates in my, in my hometown. So and it you know, why not give that it's, it's too awesome to not give back and spread the love. And you know we're so fortunate that you know Pittsburgh, such an amazing city, and you know they come out and support us. So you know any to any chance that you know we have to give back, just even, just a little bit. And I just think of, you know, whenever I was a young kid playing baseball, and you know somebody in a pirate uniform would show up, I don't even know who, it wouldn't even matter, but like if the pirate parrot and somebody showed up, how pumped up that would make me, and so that's kind of just that kind of Plus one, and you know, all it takes is just having one impact, and that that that's makes it all worth it.
Speaker 1:And it's just the half of it. Hold my cutter. Can you hold your cutter? Hold my cutter. With David Bednar is there's one cutter and there's the baseball. How would you hold your cutter?
Speaker 2:Yeah, how would you throw a credit game? Oh, you would have a good cutter.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would love to throw a cutter.
Speaker 2:That's down, that's not a line. Oh.
Speaker 3:Love to have one. I think that'd be awesome. I remember Watching Melanson being like, oh oh, I would love to have one. Yeah, yeah, it was nasty. That was, yeah, yeah, coming to games at PNC and just watching him shut, shut games down and just dice and dudes off of the cutter. Yeah, still doing it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he loved to throw it and I always reminded him how good his breaking ball was because he would punch takeouts at that thing.
Speaker 3:But he loved that cutter you know, I don't know how, I don't remember.
Speaker 2:But it's a similar thought process you find the grip you like and you rip it. It's just you let that last finger touch it.
Speaker 1:There it is. Hold my cutter.