PITTSBURGH — David Bednar does not take his decision to “split” lightly.

“It's what got me to the big leagues,” the Mars graduate and Pittsburgh Pirate right-hander said.

Despite being dominant on the mound through most of his high school career and parts of his collegiate career at Lafayette, Bednar never threw a split-finger fastball until he entered professional baseball through the San Diego Padres organization.

“I first experimented with it in the Instructional League in the fall of 2016,” Bednar, 26, said.

Former Los Angeles Dodger and Japanese pitching great Hideo Nomo helped him perfect it.

Nomo threw the splitter frequently during his pitching career. He was a special assistant in the Padres system when Bednar was there.

“He helped me learn the pitch and worked with me on it every year I was in the minor leagues,” Bednar said. “I got more and more comfortable with it.

“I'm at the point now where I'll throw it at any time in the count.”

With much success.

Bednar has been as consistent a pitcher as the Pirates have had all season. He picked up his first career save Saturday night in St. Louis. He inherited a seventh-inning jam and got out of it, then tossed a scoreless eighth the night before.

He has a 3-1 record with a 2.49 earned run average this season. In 50.2 innings pitched covering 52 appearances, Bednar has fanned 62 and walked 16.

“Not many pitchers are throwing the splitter anymore,” Pirate bullpen coach Justin Meccage said. “David has complete command of it and it's a different look for major league hitters.

“They're just not used to seeing it.”

Through Sunday, Bednar had compiled 143 strikeouts in 118.2 major league innings.

“It's not surprising,” Meccage said of that strikeout-innings pitched ratio. “David has tremendous stuff. He can throw his fastball, curve or splitter at any time and he throws them for strikes.

“A pitcher with his kind of stuff who throws strikes as steadily as he does is a rare combination. That's why he's been successful.”

Since the Pirates traded closer Richard Rodriguez to Atlanta, Meccage insists the team is not auditioning pitchers — including Bednar — for the future closer's role.

He does admit Bednar has what it takes to be a major league closer.

“No doubt,” the coach said. “He has the stuff and the mentality. He just attacks hitters. It's such a plus having a guy you can bring into a difficult situation, knowing he's not gonna walk anyone.

“We're using our late inning relievers now, based on matchups. Whether it's Bednar, (Chason) Shreve (2-1, 2.84 ERA) or (Mike) Stratton (4-0, 3.86) pitching the seventh, eighth or ninth is all in how the game is playing out.”

Regardless, Bednar enjoyed notching his first major league save. He earned his second Monday night.

“Pretty cool,” he said. “It felt good to get that one out of the way. But it doesn't mean I'm the closer. I don't even think along those lines.

“I don't define myself in any role. When that phone rings, whenever it is, it's my job to come in and get outs. That's all I concern myself with.”

While Bednar insists pitching the ninth inning is no different than the seventh or eighth — “The job is the same,” he says — Meccage insists differently.

“The ninth inning outs are the toughest,” he said. “There's definitely a different feel to it. The fact he (Bednar) doesn't view it any differently comes back to his mental approach.

“This guy keeps working at every phase of the game. Earlier in the season, he worked slower with a runner on first base and that was a concern, that opponents might use the running game against him. But he's adjusted. He throws over to first effectively and works quicker to the plate. He's still refining himself up here.”

And he's doing so despite the Pirates' won-loss record, one of the worst in baseball.

“Everyone on this team wants to win,” Bednar said. “My purpose here is to help us win games. I love being used in situations where we've got the lead.

“You can always get better at your job. I want to keep staying aggressive in the (strike) zone and go from there.”