Full Count: After being booed, demoted, David Bednar ready to reclaim closer role for Pirates

David Bednar has basked in the adulation that comes with being an All-Star closer for his hometown team, walking from the bullpen to the mound to the Pittsburgh Steelers anthem, “Renegade,” amid cheers at PNC Park.

But Bednar has endured the flip side, going from leading the major leagues with a 92.9 save percentage in 2023 to blowing seven save opportunities last year to being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on April Fool’s Day, only four games into the start of the season.

“This game will humble you really quick,” Bednar told TribLive. “It’s learning from the bad and the good. It’s learning what works and what doesn’t and digging deep and knowing why you’re able to have success.”

Being booed as he walked off the field has made Bednar appreciate his success, as well as his circle of support for constant encouragement.

“It’s one of the great things about playing here: I have so much pride in being a Pirate,” Bednar said. “Obviously, I’ll be the first one to tell you, I was incredibly frustrated with myself last year. That’s not who I am as a pitcher. … That’s part of it, man. I wasn’t throwing well. That’s the harsh reality.”

Bednar reflected on his peaks and valleys with the Pittsburgh Pirates before Wednesday’s game against the Houston Astros, just hours before he recorded two strikeouts in the ninth to earn his seventh save. It marked six scoreless outings in his last seven appearances in the ninth inning, a sign Bednar is close to reclaiming the coveted closer role — especially after striking out the side in the ninth inning of Friday’s 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

David Bednar, K'ing the Side in the 9th. pic.twitter.com/xtjYiSbwhd

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 7, 2025

As someone who bounced back and forth between the majors and minors, Pirates manager Don Kelly has been impressed with how Bednar has bounced back from his demotion to return to the bullpen.

“Well, I can’t relate to the All-Star and going back. I can relate to going back,” Kelly said, with a smile. “You see the attitude that he has. He’s a Pittsburgher. He’s a blue-collar guy that works his butt off. To do what he’s been able to do, go down there and come back up, it’s hard to do normally, but then when you throw the All-Star thing on top of it, it’s not easy.”

It wasn’t easy for the Pirates, especially the bullpen. Bednar is one of the club’s beloved players, as the Mars alum is a three-time Roberto Clemente Award nominee for his charitable work and community service who embraces everything about being a Yinzer.

“Obviously, the situation what it was, being an All-Star, being from here and being sent down, that’s not ideal,” Pirates reliever Ryan Borucki said. “I knew that he was hurting. I remember what it was like being sent down after four years in the big leagues. It’s a shocker, for sure. …

“That first day in Tampa without him was very weird. You could definitely tell that bullpen didn’t have the same life because, obviously, he’s a leader as the closer. But the person he is — he’s always in a good mood, has a smile on his face and has a great aura about him — losing a guy like that always is tough. It was definitely a grind without him.”

For Bednar, his 18-day stay at Indianapolis was as much about building back the belief in who he was and what he can do — with the help of teammates such as Borucki and Mitch Keller and Indy pitching coaches Drew Benes and Cibney Bello — as it was about sharpening his pitches.

Bednar concentrated on improving the command of a four-seam fastball that ranks in the 89th percentile per Statcast in velocity (97 mph) and rediscovering the confidence and conviction in the secondary pitches — a curveball and splitter — that made him one of the game’s top closers.

“Ultimately, last year I didn’t have quite the same feel I had in the past with some of the off-speed stuff. It allowed me to get a little bit more predictable,” Bednar said. “The command of the fastball wasn’t where it needed to be, either. So it was the command and not being able to be in the zone with the other stuff. What makes me good is having trust in all three pitches and being able to throw all three in the zone on any count. Just being unpredictable and keeping guys off-balance and throwing it in the zone. That’s one thing I’ve really gotten back to. I think that’s what going to set me up for success for now and in the future.”

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Bednar. Fernando Tatis Jr. scored on a wild pitch in the ninth inning of a 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on May 3, and Bednar gave up singles to Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto and a sacrifice fly to Pete Alonso in the ninth inning of a 4-3 walk-off loss at the New York Mets on May 12.

But Kelly pointed to Bednar’s battle with Victor Caratini with one out and a runner on first base in the ninth inning in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over the Astros as “phenomenal,” noting how he utilized all three pitches. Bednar opened with a curveball above the zone, threw successive splitters and a 97.7 mph heater but fell behind in the count 3-1. He got Caratini to foul off a knee-high splitter, then got him swinging on another splitter in almost the same exact spot for a strikeout.

“To see that he’s been able to do it, to come back up, continue to get better, throw strikes with his off-speed, he’s got his fastball velo touching 98 again and staying up there pretty consistently,” Kelly said, “then, getting down 3-1 and being able to throw two splits to Caratini and have the confidence to do that. He just continues to build that confidence, and it’s because of who he is and the work that he puts in.”

Even so, Kelly declined to name him the Pirates’ closer. Kelly prefers to play the matchups between Bednar and Dennis Santana, who posted a 2.35 ERA with two saves in seven appearances in his absence. Bednar makes no secret of his desire to return to owning the ninth inning.

“You realize that throwing the ninth and those leverage innings, those are the dudes. Those are the guys you want to be,” Bednar said. “Once you get a little taste of success and realize that I can do this, you roll with that. Then you’re put in some of those spots and able to run with it. I was very fortunate to have that opportunity here and get my feet under me and take that and run with it. …

“I know what I’m capable of in that role. I know what I can be and what I will be. As far as right now, whenever that phone rings, I’m getting ready to get those three outs and helping this team win some games.”