Former Pirates Closer Keeps Walk-Up Song With Yankees
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PITTSBURGH — David Bednar may not pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates anymore, but he maintained an important part of his hometown with his new MLB team.
The Pirates traded Bednar to the New York Yankees on July 31, for three prospects, ending more than five years with his hometown team.
Bednar played for Mars Area High School in Mars, Pa. just 25-30 miles north of PNC Park, and always took pride in being from Pittsburgh throughout his time with the Pirates.
One of those staples was having the song "Renegade" by Styx as his walk-up song whenever he would come on and pitch, especially in a save situation.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have used "Renegade" as a song at home games at Acrisure Stadium, especailly when the defense goes out during a close game.
Bednar didn't pitch at home for his first two series, but made his first appearance at Yankees Stadium on Aug. 9, where he kept "Renegade" for his walk-out song coming in the top of the eighth inning vs. the Houston Astros.
David Bednar brought his entrance song “Renegade” from Pittsburgh to Yankee Stadium
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 9, 2025
The Steelers have used the song to hype up fans since the early 2000s pic.twitter.com/tK7Tv9cmbe
Bednar blew his four-out save opportunity, walking the bases loaded for his first batter, but kept the game tied, and after the Yankees took the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, he got three quick outs and gave them the win, 5-4.
This marked his fourth appearance with the Yankees since the trade, with one save in three opportunities, a 3.00 ERA over six innings pitched and 10 strikeouts to three walks.
He joined the Pirates in a three-team trade back on Jan. 19, 2021, sending starting pitcher Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres for left-handed pitcher Omar Cruz, right-handed pitcher Drake Fellows and outfielder Hudson Head, plus Bednar, and got catcher Endy Rodríguez from the New York Mets
Bednar excelled during his time in Pittsburgh, earning back-to-back All-Star nods in 2022 and 2023. He also led the National League in saves in 2023 with 39. He also pitched for Team USA at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, finishing with the silver medal.
He struggled throughout 2024, blowing seven saves and losing his closer role towards the end of the campaign.
Bednar continued his poor form at the beginning of 2024, which resulted in his demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis on April 1.
He would return on April 19 and dominated the rest of his time in Pittsburgh, allowing just seven earned runs allowed over 37.0 innings pitched in 39 appearances for a 1.70 ERA, with 50 strikeouts to eight walks.
Bednar also didn't blow a save, 17-for-17 on save opportunities, and had 23 consecutive outings from May 24 to July 26 that he didn't give up an earned run.
He won NL Reliever of the Month honors for June, with a 2-1 record in 10 appearances, five saves in five opportunities, no earned runs allowed over 10.0 innings pitched, allowing four hits, three walks, one intentional walk and a run, but no earned runs and posting 16 strikeouts over 36 batters faced.
Bednar earned his 100th save with the Pirates in his final outing at PNC Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 26, as the home fans praised him for his great performance.
He is one of six Pirates pitchers all-time that have at least 100 saves. This includes Roy Face (1953, 1955-68) with the franchise record of 188, Kent Tekulve (1974-85) in second with 158, Mike Williams (1998-2001, 2002-03) in third with 140, Dave Gusti (1970-76) in fourth with 133 and Mark Melancon (2013-16) in fifth with 130.
Bednar finished his time with the Pirates with a 14-21 record in 276 appearances, 101 saves, a 3.01 ERA over 275.1 innings pitched, 335 strikeouts to 94 walks and a 1.44 WHIP.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.