Yankees Closer Channels Houdini at the World Baseball Classic

The United States has moved on to the finals of the World Baseball Classic, despite a bad loss to Italy, where manager Mark DeRosa walked into the game thinking his team had "punched their ticket," as he put it. The vibe is a little different now with a big 2-1 win over the highly charismatic Dominican Republic squad, which had clobbered its way through the tournament. Pitching and defense won the day, and the closer for the New York Yankees has become a staple of the US bullpen.

David Bednar has appeared in four games in the tournament, which, if you were to give Aaron Boone truth serum to see how he felt about that, he may not be so pleased. Despite constantly skirting the edge of trouble every time he takes the mound, if the US wins, it would be due in part to Bednar's Houdini acts.

United States Pitcher David Bedna — Mar 13, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; United States fans cheer as relief pitcher David Bednar (53) walks back to the dugout during the seventh inning against Canada during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

In back-to-back games, Bednar got himself into trouble and then worked his way out of a jam. Bednar relieved Gabe Speier in the 7th inning against Canada. He started the game with a single by Edouard Julien and Otto Lopez. To make matters worse, a passed ball moved the runners to second and third with no outs.

From there, Josh Naylor meekly flew out to third base. Tyler O'Neill struck out, and Owen Caissie did too.

Bednar vs. DR

Things were just as tense when Bednar took the mound against the Dominican Republic squad, which has mauled pitchers all tournament. Things started well enough for Bednar, but Austin Wells doubled off of him. Then, Geraldo Perdomo singled, which moved Wells to third. Perdomo stole second, and it was yet another instance of runners on second and third.

Bednar then struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. He got another all-star to whiff in Ketel Marte after that.

Of course, in that inning, luck did come into play. When Perdomo singled, Wells could have had a shot at scoring. The throw from centerfield to home plate was way off line, but Wells held up at third. Were it not for that, the game would have been tied, and who knows what would have happened at that point.

Houdini of the WBC

The box score doesn't show the high-wire acts, and to his credit, he hasn’t surrendered an earned run. In the four games he's been used, though, Bednar has averaged 19.75 pitches per appearance. He has also thrown 79 pitches thus far.

They were all high-stress bullets, too, not just the usual warm-up ones he had been accustomed to at this time of year. This is just something to look at before the season starts. Going back to what Boone could be thinking, his big hope is that he finally has a rock at closer. The manager is probably hoping he leaves his Houdini act in the WBC.

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