This New York Yankees star dislikes one thing about playing for the team.
Last summer, the New York Yankees knew they needed to repair their ailing bullpen, so they went out and made a flurry of moves for relievers at the trade deadline.
Among their acquisitions was closer David Bednar, who had spent the previous four-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Bednar has settled into New York nicely ever since.
He pitched to the tune of a 2.19 ERA while allowing just 14 hits and racking up 35 strikeouts over 24.1 innings of work with the Yankees last season, and thus far in 2026, he has surrendered one run in three appearances, totaling three saves.
It seems very clear that Bednar loves pitching in the Bronx, but there is one thing that the right-hander dislikes about the Big Apple: the traffic.
“I won’t ever get used to it. I won’t ever complain about Pittsburgh traffic ever again,” Bednar said, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Bednar hit a bit of a rough stretch against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday afternoon, giving up three hits and a run in 1.1 innings. But he was still able to nail down the save, and in the end, that's what matters.
New York Yankese pitcher David Bednar with catcher Austin Wells. Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images.“At the end of the day, it’s about finding a way,” Bednar said. “Everybody wants to go three up, three down, but sometimes it just doesn’t fall that way. You want them all to be pretty, but when they’re not, you’ve just got to bear down.”
The 31-year-old actually entered the big leagues with the San Diego Padres in 2019 and spent two seasons there before being sent to the Pirates in a three-team deal.
Bednar developed into a star in Pittsburgh, earning back-to-back All-Star selections in 2022 and 2023, leading the National League with 39 saves during the latter campaign.
Overall, the Pittsburgh native has tallied a 3.14 ERA to go along with a 1.160 WHIP and 11.0 K/9 throughout his career.
Bednar may not be Mariano Rivera, but he has established himself as a critical piece of the Yankees' pitching staff, and how he performs this season will likely be a significant determinant in just how far the Bronx Bombers go.
New York has gotten off to a 5-1 start this season and will host the Miami Marlins in its home opener on Friday afternoon.
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