Hold My Cutter
The Renegade!!! (Part 2)
I still remember the buzz in the stands when David Bednar, now a two-time All-Star closer with the Pittsburgh Pirates, was once just a hopeful name awaiting the draft call. That same electrifying sense of anticipation fills our latest episode as Bednar himself recounts the very moment his Major League dreams began to come to life, all while keeping a stealthy eye on the draft behind his glove. It's not every day you get to sit down with a big leaguer who vividly shares his rise from a college pitcher to a revered closer, complete with the emotional rollercoaster of his trade to the Pirates—a revelation he first saw unfold on social media.
Baseball isn't just a game of runs and hits; it's woven with stories of resilience, camaraderie, and those personal rituals that turn players into legends. Bednar opens up about the surreal reality of training during the pandemic, the mental agility it demanded, and the brotherhood that kept him grounded when the stands were empty. From Michael McHenry celebrating the pitcher-catcher connection to the quirky traditions that bond teammates, we trace the lines of friendship and respect that run as deep as the love for the game itself.
Wrapping up our heart-to-heart, David dives into the sentimental side of baseball, sharing his tradition of collecting game balls—a practice spurred on by his teammate Bones. The tales of these cherished mementos bring us closer to the human side of the sport, where success is marked not just by statistics but by the stories tethered to each triumph. And if you've ever been curious about the grip of a cutter, you'll want to stick around for the unofficial pitching lesson that caps off this conversation. Join us for a chat that's as much about the spirit of baseball as it is about the game itself.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
I still remember the buzz in the stands when David Bednar, now a two-time All-Star closer with the Pittsburgh Pirates, was once just a hopeful name awaiting the draft call. That same electrifying sense of anticipation fills our latest episode as Bednar himself recounts the very moment his Major League dreams began to come to life, all while keeping a stealthy eye on the draft behind his glove. It's not every day you get to sit down with a big leaguer who vividly shares his rise from a college pitcher to a revered closer, complete with the emotional rollercoaster of his trade to the Pirates—a revelation he first saw unfold on social media.
Baseball isn't just a game of runs and hits; it's woven with stories of resilience, camaraderie, and those personal rituals that turn players into legends. Bednar opens up about the surreal reality of training during the pandemic, the mental agility it demanded, and the brotherhood that kept him grounded when the stands were empty. From Michael McHenry celebrating the pitcher-catcher connection to the quirky traditions that bond teammates, we trace the lines of friendship and respect that run as deep as the love for the game itself.
Wrapping up our heart-to-heart, David dives into the sentimental side of baseball, sharing his tradition of collecting game balls—a practice spurred on by his teammate Bones. The tales of these cherished mementos bring us closer to the human side of the sport, where success is marked not just by statistics but by the stories tethered to each triumph. And if you've ever been curious about the grip of a cutter, you'll want to stick around for the unofficial pitching lesson that caps off this conversation. Join us for a chat that's as much about the spirit of baseball as it is about the game itself.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
Spring training underway course. Last week, on our opening episode of hold my cutter, we chatted with pirates closer David bednar. But we were not finished. We had a lot more to talk about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it wasn't closed.
Speaker 1:He's got to finish the game we're gonna get his coming back, he's gonna get three more out. We had to have the clothes or clothes. So enjoy this conversation with David bednar. Hold my cutter here at burn by rocky patelle and we're, with two-time pirate all-star closer. David bednar is our guest and we are enjoying the number six with the Michael McHenry who has nicknamed it.
Speaker 1:The Marta, the Marta after former pirate Starling Marta. But as we were having our first Smoke, our featured smoke, david reminded me that this was voted the best Honduran cigar by cigar journal in 2020, and David corrected me. I thought it was given 83 piece. Had no 93 points by cigar fishing auto mix that one up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's an 80 B Brownie a carol who rapper.
Speaker 1:Rodwin and Honduran binder and filler and a medium-body cigar. It's a. It's a beautiful, beautiful cigar here at burn by rocky patelle, leonard Lee, our producer, and all the folks here at burn, just a couple blocks away from PNC Park on the North Shore. David, your story is remarkable. You are kind of born and raised in the South Hills. Then you end up Attending high school at Mars. Your dad a long time coach there. You play for the Mars planets. Then you decide to go to a little school in eastern Pennsylvania, in eastern PA, lafayette College.
Speaker 3:Well, you play for our leopards. Oh yeah, what are they, the leopards? Leopards roll parts.
Speaker 1:Oh you go from the planets to the. What, by the way, did you guys watch the cheer at Mars? Go go plans. Go go planets. Let's go planets, that's it.
Speaker 3:Fightin planets, yeah go fightin play.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just be plan.
Speaker 2:Hey, you can't forget to fight. I went up there and worked with their catchers last year. There are some dudes that look like planets. Like I get it, like I get it. You know you look at him and his brother, his dad yeah, big dudes look like they could tear a phone book in half. They got like five or six more pictures just like that. Yeah, something in the water, there's something water. Yeah, they're eating Mars up there.
Speaker 1:Oh it's weird. So anyway, so 35th, and in the summer of 2016, you're again your Lafayette Leopard. But During batting practice, it's day three of the Major League Baseball draft and a scout apparently tells you to pay attention, and so you try to hide your phone behind your glove. So the story goes.
Speaker 3:Tell us about that yeah, so I was on a temp contract in the Cape and From a smaller school at Lafayette.
Speaker 3:That was pretty that's a big rare, so it was like you know, even just getting the opportunity to have a temp contract there was was awesome. I was pumped up, and so I was, you know, in contact with, you know, barely the Cubs, but like more so the Padre Scout I was, you know, talking to a little bit, and so it was our the second game of the season and I've been there for like a week and Basically the only thing I've done was I threw like one pen and we did a bunch of field work to get it, get it ready.
Speaker 2:I was playing for the you did the field work right. Oh yeah, we all. We all did it. Difference in college to for sure.
Speaker 3:I mean, we, we did our whole of our field work in college as well. So summer ball was like all the dudes from like the big-time schools are like so you're playing for who the Falmouth Commodores? And so I was there for like a week or so and then First game came. Didn't pitch in that one. And then the second game I Was probably gonna pitch in that one but I ended up getting.
Speaker 3:There was some rain, so anyway, we're in and Forget the place like your myth, dennis, whatever the reds, yd red socks. And so that was the third day of the draft and it started like while we're taking our school bus to the field and so I'm on my phone, just kind of like the third days, like I think it started like the 25th or 20th or whatever, and so I'm kind of paying attention to whenever the Padres are picking and you know, as the days kind of going like I still haven't heard my name and the rounds are just going by, going by and we're starting to do BP and I'm like shoot, like I gotta, I gotta. Stay by my phone like there's no way I, so we're in BP, and like I'm still trying to make a good impression. I don't want to just be like a jackass having my phone in my my.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I was trying my best to be discreet with it and I was like hanging out in the outfield, I go start to drizzle a little bit and just like checking my phone nervously. And then they had. They had the draft going on the ticker going on the Sound system too. So it's like double. I'm seeing pics go by, go by, like rounds are just going by. Like 25th. I'm like all right, maybe by the 30th and 30th comes around, still nothing and probably like two minutes. I was like probably early 30s. The scout text me goes hey, we're still good to do it. He goes, all right, yeah, keep your phone on you. And so finally, by the 35th around, I got a text said done and then you hear your name over the PA system and all over, all over Social media or whatever.
Speaker 3:And that was just so cool. What?
Speaker 2:like what happened right after that.
Speaker 3:So right after the, the game ended up getting canceled. We're driving back to.
Speaker 2:Would you have pitched? Yeah, I would have pitched.
Speaker 3:But so game got canceled and so I'm thinking, okay, like you know, maybe I'll have some time to at least go back home, get some stuff. And and then go, and I find out, and my, my buddy, who is who I went to college with, he was actually doing some scouting in In the Cape and because he was a year older but he was, that was his kind of his first job, and so we are going out and you know, celebrating. And then, and then that later on that night I find out I have a flight at like 10 the morning. I'm like, oh, maybe I can go back to Pittsburgh and get myself Like, see my family get pumped up Right right there. Arizona, yeah, no.
Speaker 1:So that was just just an absolute whirlwind.
Speaker 3:It's like never what I've expected to. Getting drafted at that point was like the biggest thing. I was like wow, like so this At that point was just mind-blowing and it's super exciting and just I was just I felt like I was playing with house money at that point. I was like I got drafted. This is awesome. We're just thinking like nothing of like the next steps and what it would take to get to the big leagues at that point yeah, but then Three years later, 2019, end of August, you're playing double A for the Amarillo.
Speaker 1:I'm a real.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, oh yeah, what, the Amarillo side poodles. It's like a Poodle, the side poodle. What is that?
Speaker 2:I don't just say poodle.
Speaker 1:You were.
Speaker 2:Pooh. Now you were, you were a planet to a leopard, to a poodle. Yeah, you're going the wrong direction, sir.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's all that matters, yeah, but so, like August 31st and who? The coach was there for the sod poodles, but he and, and I think he announced that there's somebody going to the big leagues and and he's it's like and you're going to bed, dar yeah, because there's a guy who was on the 40 man and he was.
Speaker 3:It was actually, I believe it was Javi Guerra who was. So he made his debut maybe a year or two before as a shortstop, but that year he was a pitcher and he was making his debut. So he got the whole team lined up and right before it was like a typical pre-stretch, pre-throw meeting and he's like Javi, you're going to the show. And then he kind of like an awkward pause and I was like Ednar, you're going with them. I was like what?
Speaker 2:was your reaction.
Speaker 3:I was just like kind of beside myself, honestly.
Speaker 2:You didn't expect that at all.
Speaker 3:No, I mean, like I said, I wasn't like you know, man, definitely by September, it's like you know, I was throwing the ball well, but like, obviously I was in double A. I thought, like you know, maybe I would have to go triple A and then to the big leagues and so I thought it wasn't like I knew it was a possibility because they had a couple of guys early in the year go from double A, but at the time it was kind of just I don't know. I mean, obviously you hope, but like you never, you never really know. So whenever he said that, that was just unbelievable, it was like you know, it's the reason why you do it and you know, it's just the next special, you know special thing on the timeline and having everybody around celebrate and it was so cool, everybody was talking to me and it was just an awesome.
Speaker 2:It's just so cool, yeah, but not much time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and then calling my parents.
Speaker 2:Was it parents first call?
Speaker 3:Yeah, parents were first call.
Speaker 2:Hear that, mom and dad, you're welcome.
Speaker 1:August 31st to call mom and dad. Yeah, and Casey was the second.
Speaker 3:She was of course, of course, girlfriend, of course she was a wife, of course she would have been one, of course.
Speaker 1:I'm going to the big leagues and can you get out here, cause the pod race is going to be in San Francisco tomorrow.
Speaker 3:Yes, so it was a Saturday, I found out, and then it was a Sunday game in San Francisco, so that was the last game of the series and it was a noon game on that Sunday. So I, and not a whole lot of flights going out of the Amarillo airport to San Francisco, so I, the only flight that was going out was Sunday, at like five in the morning will be a central time, and so so like, we get in, we get into San Francisco, probably around nine or 10. And then by the time we get to the stadium it's probably, you know, 1030 ish, 11. So like, and then you're, you're getting in there, like and just dealing with, first off, all the emotion, all the excitement, the just everything, just all your, your world just kind of spinning.
Speaker 3:And you get in there and you know, go shake hands with manager and all that good stuff, and say what's up to some of the team, your teammates, and just trying to get acclimated. And then it's like, oh, shoot, I got to get ready to maybe pitch in this game. Like, oh, shoot, so. And so like, go out there play catch, like it's just like, well, like just looking around, just taking it all in, and then you know it's it's game time here is kind of in San Francisco. That was the last. I think that was the last year where the bullpens were on the field too. So just hanging out in the dugout the whole time was just like well like that Even cooler.
Speaker 3:Yeah, never forget it. And then so as as the game kind of went on, it was a it was a tight game, so I was like no way, I'm gonna, no way they're gonna pitch through me in there, like no way. And so and like maybe like in the fifth or six or something like that. So I was kind of like getting ready but, like you know, trying to look cool about it you know Like, not like.
Speaker 2:I was like losing my mind.
Speaker 3:I was trying to play it cool the best I could, and then the you know eighth camera. I was like I'm not pitching, like no way. It was like a two run game. And then the ninth came around and we have scoring like one more run. So it was like a three run league going to the ninth and so obviously Kirby has it so, and then they're like I don't know, you have it if we score one more. So I'm like oh what?
Speaker 1:So it goes from seven to four to eight to four, oh yes.
Speaker 3:So I go out there and I'm, you know it's, it's, even if it's just one person warming up. So two people warming up right on the side, and that's my first big league warmup.
Speaker 2:Fans right here.
Speaker 3:And then so we get it was like two quick outs. So I'm like I'm kind of like I'm probably not going to be in there Next thing. You know, I think it was like Eric Hosmer hits a double, manny hits a Manny, machado hits a double, boom up four. The next guy gets out. So I'm like, oh, just ramping it up Boom right in the game. And then so like just I just remember that jog out to the mound, like it was yesterday, just kind of looking around and just take it like obviously getting ready to pitch but trying to soak in as much as that moment as you possibly can. And I remember my first two heaters. I'm not a big spike in heaters guy, I'm, you know, pretty much just fill it up in the zone. I was trying to first one spike right, right at home, right at home.
Speaker 2:97 in the dirt. Oh yeah, right in the dirt.
Speaker 3:Next one. I'm like all right, come on, just right, just throw it somewhere in the, just throw a strike Spike to get out of the way. He's air pumped up. Yeah, I was. I was unbelievable so pumped and then I ended up getting like three flyouts and I was just like one, two, three.
Speaker 1:Yeah, one, two, three. You know who the first bat of your face is, Ugh olo first belt maybe Branded belt, was he the first.
Speaker 3:He was definitely the second.
Speaker 2:He was definitely the first or second. At that time you were in the middle of their order.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was definitely the first or second. I should know that, but I was just way too.
Speaker 2:Oh, I get it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely, but no so that was just an incredibly special thing. And then so, like I said, my family couldn't make it out to San Francisco in time, they couldn't just get out there in time, so they didn't see the actual debut. But then we went to Arizona and by the time I got there they were all there. So my college buddies were there, casey was there, my aunt and uncle and cousins were there as well. So cool, and that's really what it's all about.
Speaker 3:And just those people that support you throughout your whole life and now your whole career, and getting to enjoy it and share that experience with them was just that's kind of one of the most rewarding things about playing here is you still continue to get to share those cool moments and cool experiences with them and because, I mean, you can't do it by yourself and that support system means so much, and so that was just really special and definitely a moment I'll never forget and just seeing all of them and just how pumped up they all were and, like I said, just buddies. I was a family client making this trip out, but some of my buddies who were working, they all took off and probably like seven or eight are my teammates and some of my coaches growing up and man, those are just the moments you kind of take a step back and reflect on.
Speaker 3:You're like wow, that's just so cool and just so blessed to just have that opportunity in the first place and to get to share it with everybody. It just makes it even more special.
Speaker 1:You really don't know what it's like to triple A at all.
Speaker 3:What's that? Yeah, I made the joke, I was. I made my debut whenever I had a rehab assignment, I think two years ago.
Speaker 1:That's right, you made your triple.
Speaker 2:A debut. That was my first time.
Speaker 3:I was like man I'll never.
Speaker 2:Good for you. You weren't missing much.
Speaker 3:Yeah, cause I was. I definitely would have been there in 2020 of that COVID year. I kind of missed out on it. I was with we're at the alt site in San Diego, so whenever you get sent down, you still got to be in San Diego, so it wasn't like. Obviously it was sucked but, you still got to be in one spot the whole time. What was?
Speaker 2:that year like Cause. I mean you're a month into your big league career in the. You go to spring training you probably feel sexier and best shape your life. Throw an absolute Brunswick in the zone.
Speaker 2:Thinking like I got a chance to make the team out of camp and right in the middle of camp it's like now we're going to shut it down and then you go to an alt site which never existed in the history of baseball time. So what was that like? How did you stay fresh and stay prepared? I mean, I don't care what anybody says. Live at bats are not the same. Facing your own guys is not the same. So how did you kind of band together with your dudes, you know, with everything going on around you, and focus in on this task? It's the hardest thing in the world to do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so obviously that year was just crazy for everybody from so many fronts. But you know, for me they was actually pretty cool. So we still flew out to San Diego or, like whoever elected them just go to San Diego. So they put us up in a hotel and obviously it was a tough decision at the time because you know it was either go home and spend time with your family or just, you know, or you know, I viewed it as I have an opportunity to still work out at PECO, with some strict parameters, of course, but there's a group of us that were still working out PECO got to be in San Diego and tough life.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was really tough.
Speaker 3:But now it was a group of three of us me, cal Clontrol and Trey Wingunner who was with the Tigers last year, but so we were just kind of we all we ate pretty much everything together, a lot of takeout, a lot of walks by the water, then just a lot of hanging out, and then that's kind of whenever I got to spend a lot of time kind of watching you know goes back to you know hanging out with Craig Stamman and all those guys, and there was only probably a group of 10 or 12 of us that were still there, and so it was like kind of individual groups and then like the bullpen settings were really cool too, so like it was probably just five or six of us and we'd all watch each other throw and have some feedback.
Speaker 3:And you know, that year I was in I didn't have best stuff by any means, but like I think the more of the mental approach of anything it's kind of what I took most from that year and then obviously you go from all of that and so we kind of made the most out of it because we were I've heard that a time or two and everybody that said I made the most out of it, their career elevated in a way, whether it's a coach or a front office person, but especially the players like some guys looked at it as like, oh, I don't want to do this, I'm going to go home.
Speaker 2:Other guys are like no, I want to do this. It's a chance to grow, see what happens. And I love that you said that, because every opportunity, good or bad, you can use it for a positive if you look at it that way.
Speaker 3:Oh, absolutely, yeah, I mean it was definitely hard, you know, being away from Casey, my family and everybody like that. But obviously Casey still made some trips out but like it was, that was tough because like guys were still going home, like other guys were at home, but like you know, to get what I felt was the best thing for my career, not just then, but you know I was still trying to make the team at that- point.
Speaker 3:So it's like I'm going to stay here and do whatever it takes and in the long run, I think that that benefited me a lot because we were doing live ABs like every third day, with like we faced like it was it was Manny Tommy Fam, like Hosmer Cronoworth Pro-Far.
Speaker 2:Those dudes were taking it serious too, especially Fam. He's not playing, he's not playing, he's not playing, he's not playing.
Speaker 3:And so, like I got more from just like kind of feedback and watching them, like watching their takes and then talking to them after just about my own my stuff and how it was playing and what their, what their mindset was, and then kind of going back and talking to some of the other pictures that were there too and just kind of picking their brain and so, yeah, I know like, even though it wasn't, you know, I didn't have a great year that year, I think that really helped set me up for, you know, the rest of my career really and that really was a big foundation for me.
Speaker 1:The trade to the pirates. Where were you exactly the moment?
Speaker 3:Three years ago three years ago as of yesterday actually. Well, yeah.
Speaker 1:So it was totally unexpected, or did you hear rumblings?
Speaker 3:I, I, so I didn't make the. I made the opening day roster that year in 2020, but I did not and it was only up for a short period of time. And then I did not make the playoff roster, the playoff bubble, which was like a like basically the whole 40 man went and I was on the Florida man and not go.
Speaker 2:I was like, ah, damn, and so was that like a kick in the face to you, I mean I wasn't throwing well, so like I definitely saw it, I mean I was definitely bummed, but like I wasn't Like you felt like you really truly deserved it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, like I obviously I was like, ah, like I was starting to feel a bit better and get back to my stuff, but I wasn't, I wasn't. I wasn't myself and I wasn't it. Uh, it definitely stung, like I was that really hurt. I was like but no, I definitely, I definitely saw there as it made sense. I wasn't very good at all. Um, they had like a seven that year, like six innings I gave way too much.
Speaker 2:Yeah, six innings, yeah, but.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, so I didn't. I didn't get it the invite to that. So I was like, okay, like then they made that trade for Darvish with the Cubs. I was like, and the tweet broke and it was like, oh yeah, there's like seven, seven players. And I'm like, oh, I might be throwing in this one, like why not, and and and. It didn't end up happening. But that's kind of where my head was, because if I wasn't gonna be on the playoff bubble Then probably you know right wrong, if that was actually the truth or not, whatever. But I was like I am, they probably don't, they're whatever. So and then the Pirates, one Actually found on Twitter. Because did you really? Yeah, the news broke and it was like Musgrove to Padres and there's like four players to be named later. And I didn't, I didn't see, until my name broke on Twitter. And then which is, which is crazy, you hear stories about that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's never think it's actually gonna have to yeah. Yeah, so I see it on Twitter breaks and I'm just wait. This happened probably Maybe one o'clock on a Monday and I didn't get a call from either side until maybe like 10 am the next day Because it broke, but they were waiting on like physicals and all that stuff and so it's a long time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you're talking to your family at this point.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, no, so I got, we kind of assumed and like I got it, I got like a call from like a 412 number. I answered in like a half a second. It was like I forget what reporter it was. It was like it was so there's somebody from this, some reporter I forget, I forget exactly what was, but I've ever seen a 412 numbers. It's gotta be somebody.
Speaker 3:And then, but yes, I didn't get total confirmation until the next day, but no, that was that was so cool again like it's with Casey at her apartment, and just found out, we're just so, we were so pumped and then went over to my parents house and Just kind of party it up a little bit and then, yeah, just then finding out the next day officially was like wow, this is crazy, this is happening, this is, it's real. And then it didn't become like really real until you get to Bradenton and I was like one of those things when I was younger that my dad and I would always be like, oh, let's, let's make a spring trip, spring training trip, and obviously you know that's kind of whenever baseball season is ramping up. So we just never were able to, you know, find the time or go. But so that was my first time there. It was pretty cool. I was like oh, it's sweet.
Speaker 3:Like, and then seeing like, senior Jersey in the locker seeing all the powers that feeling like seeing all the pirates gear, it's like wow, like kind of look around, it's like, hey, everybody's wearing pirate stuff. Like no, that was that. That that part was just really cool and you know it's. It's still like a pinch me moment, like every time see my mind Jersey in the locker and just it's so cool. I mean it kind of run out of words to describe it because it's just it's just really cool. And I think every day, whenever I, you know, park in the garage and walk across the field, it's like you just look back and you see the skyline, you see all the, all the seats and you think back to whenever you were coming to games and where I sat, where we sat, you know, just the whole full circle thing is just it's just so cool and Something that is just I'll never take for granted. Just it's a pinch me moment. Every single day it's like rock.
Speaker 2:He's stuck to rock. About that it's true. Hey, here in those two stories, just how gives me chills.
Speaker 3:He's pretty adamant on the Fair. I thought that's fair.
Speaker 1:It gets walked around, it gets. Oh yeah, I mean, he's hard on them. You're not the city. Yeah, that's fair. Hey, yeah listen new age rock. But what a story. You know everything about it. 35th round and then, and then you know going to the Padres and then being traded. Now the closer and, as you said, you're going to the Down. You had not been to pirate city before you and your dad.
Speaker 3:You know, yeah, no, we oh. It's always something like I'm kind of like very loosely talked about, but just like I like we'll do it eventually yeah yeah, and we get a chance to see your mom and dad a lot like on the road.
Speaker 1:Talk about pinch me moment. It must be every day. Pinch me because they're proud of all the kids. Of course we're very proud, but it is so neat for them to go to watch you and the big leagues and then they'll travel and see, will I know they see your sister Like she's a great athlete. But they're just living. They're living out a dream right now.
Speaker 3:Oh, absolutely that's been. One of the cooler parts is obviously they've. They've supported me to all ends throughout my whole life and career and you know they've. They've traveled to, you know, every minor league city I've played in and, um, you know, my brother and sister have been tagging along for for years to every summer ball tournament. Uh, minor league cities to big league cities and uh, you know it's cool to watch my brother now do it and have haven't had the opportunity he has. But uh, no, so like my parents went from, you know, having a Top on two flights, connect connections to just driving 35 minutes down to Down to PNC and it's, it's, it's just so cool and, um, it's like I said, I go, it just goes back to it's. Just sharing it with all the people that help and support you is is the best part.
Speaker 1:I mean, you look at at a, at a kid, so well grounded, it's, it's it's who brought him up, and Andy and Sue bednar, just so, so down to her, such great people and we haven't had a chance to meet will, I'm sure we will, I'm sure you guys talk about what it might be like the day in the big leagues you're pitching against them, right? I mean?
Speaker 2:I'm just saying how good would they look together in black and gold.
Speaker 3:That's what I'm saying, I mean.
Speaker 2:Bednar starts, it bednar finishes it.
Speaker 1:You can't write about her story. That'd be sweet. No, absolutely. You guys must have talked about playing against or together.
Speaker 2:I'm starting the pitch now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there we go Come on Ben.
Speaker 2:Yeah, come on Ben.
Speaker 3:Let's go, I, you'll go ahead, go ahead. And I remember, whenever I think, uh, it was 21, I was joking to Ben that I think, uh, you know, for the 1-1 pick, I think my brother will still be on the board. So, if you want to, you know, going to the Giants, I think it was 16th, but that's great, that's all fun.
Speaker 3:But uh no, it's been cool to watch his journey and watch him, you know, go from, you know just high school and and then go into Mississippi State dominating in the college road series and Seeing him, and then now on the Pro Bowl and all that kind of stuff. It's, it's, it's cool and I'm definitely looking forward to the day where we get to suit up together.
Speaker 1:When you watched the Palacios brothers last year, was that something that you thought about? Like watching the brothers on the field of man someday, yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean Talk about just awesome people go around, yeah, the whole family just.
Speaker 1:Pirates. Josh, of course, richie, for now Tampa Bay, yeah.
Speaker 3:I get to know Josh and there's no in how you know, and Brother, sam and parents, and it's an awesome family and just seeing how excited he was I can only imagine. Just it's unbelievable. That's the stuff these you know Dream of.
Speaker 1:You can't really, you can't really put in the words how cool that would be, you seem to be a kind of guy that Would sit around a locker to me this and then like just sit there and kind of chuckle at guys and their personalities and he's a guy that just makes me laugh, josh.
Speaker 3:He's awesome. He's got the ice in his veins. It's like any, any clutch situation. He's got it.
Speaker 2:He's a glue guy Absolutely, but I define those guys. He seems like a good guy.
Speaker 3:Oh, and then it's like he's the guy. It's like in those big spots it's like, no matter what happens, that's the guy you want up there and I think it's as you know, as a teammate, I think it's it's having that confidence in all your guys and you know he's. He's just some way. Boys got that ice in his veins a little bit. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I see like.
Speaker 1:Speaking of which, the all-star game, when, when you're named the first time. What was that like?
Speaker 3:Oh, so cool. It was just one I didn't really expect, expected you didn't another thing, it's.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all the stuff was the humility he has. I know it's.
Speaker 3:I think it's just one of those things where you just kind of put your head down and just kind of grind, and whenever those things kind of happen, it's like kind of take a step back and you really kind of appreciate even more. Like even just, it's kind of the same thing. He's just put your head down. The next thing you know like the draft, a stuff, and then debut, and then now like all all the you know every year is just a little bit different and it's it's been so, so cool and just so rewarding.
Speaker 1:We're so where were the pirates?
Speaker 3:and and we're a shelter, tell you we were in Milwaukee and I found out after that he made sure to bring some icy light and the On the plane and you know, you call a meeting and I was even thinking of it and he comes out carrying a thing. I see light. I'm like it's kind of weird. What's he doing?
Speaker 3:Yeah yeah, let's go, and then uh, no. And then he announced that you know, I made the all-star team and it was just so cool and like it's same thing. It was kind of cool to See how excited my teammates were for me and kind of share that with them and and and and Edwin Diaz.
Speaker 1:He'll always have hold a special place in your heart.
Speaker 3:Well, yeah that's so cool. Yeah, that was really cool, you know, for him to having pitched in and and also our game before, he knew how special that was and you know, to frame the kind of panel, a table for me to be able to pitch and it's, it's something that's just kind of one of those things that's part of the game and it's like the bigger picture of it. That's something I'll never forget.
Speaker 1:And then you go again the next year. I was a vet, now you're a vet yeah he's got a rookie on his side. But you sent a gift over to Clayton Kershaw.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I didn't, we didn't make it initially. And then, you know, whenever I found out that, that was how I ended up getting in and we were in LA and Our bones, the clubhouse, our clubhouse guy was. He was like, hey, why don't you you send some beers over. So he was actually the idea guy. I was like, oh, that's a.
Speaker 3:So, it kind of worked out any better, so we had to wait some. This is funny to Chop it up with him at the All Star game and, you know, ask him how you liked it.
Speaker 1:You, you did, you pitched in that first All Star game and you talk about pinch me moments. Is that another one where you're walking out and you're trying to soak it in?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, it's, because the whole thing is just such a big production and Especially that year was in LA, so it was just the whole, the whole Hollywood thing and and Dodger Stadium too, which is an awesome venue and you just know how big of a stage it is. It's just, it's near, obviously, playing against the Other All Star team, which is the best of the best.
Speaker 1:So that was an awesome moment, for sure when you're, when you're pitching and you're asked to pitch in an All Star game. How different is that then? A regular game? I?
Speaker 3:think once it's different in the sense of like everything kind of before, and you're Sometimes you kind of cut out some of the prep work just because it's you don't really know exactly when you're throwing or everything like that, but it's it's more of just the adrenaline. Was who's the? The Phone rings and then you hit, you hit the dirt. It's like alright, it's just, it's just a normal game. At that point it's like I'm trying to get these guys out. That's, I think anytime you step on it. Now that's kind of the mindset and kind of Obviously you're able to appreciate it, but also it's still a job to do. Can embarrass myself and all, sir.
Speaker 1:Well work. By the way, word has it of thinking about. You talk about the, the pirate jerseys hanging and you see your number 51. There was word that you really wanted to pay homage to, 55, but you thought you know, let's go For down, let's go 51 is that is that you ended up with 51.
Speaker 3:I had zero, zero, say what number. I was happy. It was like just I said savvy, I had a number, I was amen bumped up. I was like, oh man, this is awesome, I'm a little bit better than 67 was my number.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's an offensive lineman we don't need that guard?
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I think I was. Like you know, we're in the 50s. It's a good one. Yeah, so you're locked into 51.
Speaker 1:That's good for now Good.
Speaker 2:I mean yeah, never leaving now. Yeah, I just wanted, if you ever, when you first got here yourself 51.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you start to get established. That's what usually happens. Yeah, guys change their numbers after about a year, but you decide now stick with 51.
Speaker 3:I was again. It's too late. Oh my, my dad had too many jerseys for his word jerseys for everybody side.
Speaker 2:I couldn't change at that point and he's gonna get 51 saves one of these seasons. I like, I like that.
Speaker 3:I think so.
Speaker 1:We're wrapping up this episode, but getting to that now, getting to the stuff in terms of goals, personal goals Do you think about that? You think about yeah, I want to lock in on this many saves for a year.
Speaker 3:I try not to think about like the saves, like a number, because it's, it's, it's, and then one like it goes back to.
Speaker 3:It's one of the things that you know why I think I'm able to have some successes, just controlling what you can control and it's and that's especially over 162 is there's so many things that happen that's out of your control and if I just do everything in my power to, you know, have conviction on one pitch at a time and just kind of take it instead of you know thinking about day to day or out to out, it's one pitch at a time and as simple as it is, it's, it's it's way harder to execute on that and but the more you can focus in on just that one one day at a time.
Speaker 3:So it's not so much you know the numbers I'm chasing or anything like that. I just want to Be able to pitch as many games as I can and, you know, finish the season healthy and you know, obviously, the more saves that I would be able to get, that means we're probably winning, win some games. So, and that's that's the most important part is you know being available, being available, being available as much as I can, and then you know, just coming through whenever you know. The team has been grinding for Nine innings, so just come in and shut the door and go celebrate.
Speaker 1:Can David Bednar and Michael McHenry take a fan onto the field and describe a Tight situation big crowd Swing and a miss. Strike out save. Everybody can and now catcher and pitcher embrace. What is that feeling like?
Speaker 2:I'd love to have that mallet hit me in the chest at the end of the game. He comes in hot. I just I'd embrace that.
Speaker 1:Well, it really used to do that, yeah, but it's not the same Bigger dude, shorter, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean you're talking about, true, you'd feel it if Bennard didn't you tell him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're talking about a Paul Bunyan coming at you. So yeah, for me there's nothing more special. One of my favorite things to do is to block a ball, make sure he doesn't get on the box. You tag him and I see the face like ah and then that's fired up. Yeah, but like what started that for you Like everybody's got their thing, but you like you literally pumble the catcher. And I absolutely I fall in love with it. Every time I see him I'm like, yeah, I see him harder.
Speaker 1:Pound him, pound him. Yeah, I think that's the punch.
Speaker 2:It shows the emotion that he has in that game. It's amazing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think you're just kind of so dialed in. You're kind of I kind of call it just like you just didn't kind of blackout mode. It's like you're kind of in there and like I even just think, like sometimes after I'm done I really like trying to I have to like rewatch to remember like what specific sequences were.
Speaker 2:He goes into a psycho family. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Just dialed in so much and then right after you're like just so pumped up because like all right, like let's go, we won, like it's awesome, and you see the catcher is like he's got to let something out on somebody else. Yeah, but no, it's awesome and it's cool to kind of have that connection with those guys. And you know, we were really fortunate last year to have a good catching group throughout the whole year. You know, edges, delay, andy and I think I think it's thrown to Henry last year, but I'm looking forward to it. So, yeah, no, we had a really good group last year and that makes that, you know, that picture catcher connection is really special and we had some really good ones last year.
Speaker 2:Yeah and Brownie, like when you have a guy like Bednar that you know he's going to live and die out there, you're going to do the same thing for him yeah.
Speaker 2:Period, and that's what makes guys like him special. He reminds me a lot of Joel Hanrahan. Yeah, guy is going to leave it out on the line. Give you everything he has, even if he has nothing, and you know that. So you're going to fight to the death to try to figure out he has this good stuff. It's an easy day if he doesn't have his good stuff. How are we going to make this work? Because you're going to fight in the trenches till death for guys like that easily.
Speaker 1:Best reaction you've had yet from you ever get a like.
Speaker 2:Robby and Spikowsky. In my opinion he's terrified at Bednar. Yeah, he's like, oh, don't hit me.
Speaker 3:It's just, it's just a tough, tough spot, because it's just coming off like super amped and I got to tone it down and try not to say any bad words and don't tone it down, just be you.
Speaker 2:I love it.
Speaker 1:I love the catcher's perspective. That's so great and you've had a number of catchers that you've dealt with over the years where you've saved or gotten the final out, and it must be just so much fun again to meet there in the middle and job done.
Speaker 3:Because you're both in that together and the whole team has been grinding the whole game and just to secure it and onto the next one, but able to kind of celebrate it. And that's the first guy you see and you're always riding and dying with your catcher and it's a special relationship.
Speaker 1:He said it reminds of hand or hand. What about mad caps? Almost from day one, as soon as we saw him, that's a young cap, right there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but when you look at the stuff I think about, hand or hand with the brooder.
Speaker 1:But yeah, like I think a lot of closers have some similarities.
Speaker 2:I love the high intensity. You can even mention Jason Grilly. Well, I said a little bit more professional professores. In my opinion, it's just going to slice and dice, you shake your hand and you move on, but those guys, those guys are the best.
Speaker 1:By the way, I looked it up, it's Stephen Ricard was the first guy. Joey Ricard, stephen Voight and Brandon Belt was your last guy.
Speaker 2:I have a question. The balls, they go in your glove every game right. Do they hand them?
Speaker 3:to you.
Speaker 2:Do you have them all, you keeping them all?
Speaker 3:I've got just about all of them. I try to. I don't really know what I'm going to do, just make a giant wall.
Speaker 2:All the saves, that's a great question.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I feel like I never really thought about it. I was like Bones got me the first one and then just kept them. After each one he's like I'm like, yeah, sure, so after a couple it's like might as well just try and get all of them.
Speaker 1:Are you marking them like the date and stuff?
Speaker 3:I mean whenever they authenticate it, they have.
Speaker 2:It's like a QR code. You can look it up, yeah.
Speaker 3:So, like the bigger ones, I'll try and keep, but try and get as many as you can.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I always wonder because a lot of guys get them and always wonder what they do with them.
Speaker 3:I'll be interested to see what you do with it. They're kind of just kind of sitting in a bag somewhere.
Speaker 2:Just collecting lucky charms? Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Well, we can't thank you enough. And would you hold your cutter? If you threw a cutter, I think it would be like right, something like this. There you go. All right, hold my cutter with David Bednar two time, all star, good luck, thank you. Thank you, guys.
Speaker 2:Yeah thank you, appreciate it.
Speaker 3:Thank you.