Right at Home
One pitch, one memorable victory?
The latter didn't happen, but Thursday was a memorable day indeed for the Bednar family at PNC Park.
Mars residents Andy and Sue Bednar — joined by many extended family members and friends — watched their son, David Bednar, come out of the bullpen in the eighth inning and pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates during their 2021 home opener.
“Completely surreal,” David's father, Andy Bednar, said. “Talk about a dream come true.”
The Pirates trailed the Chicago Cubs, 4-2, when Bednar took the mound with two outs in the eighth. He threw one pitch and got Chicago's Jake Marisnick to line out to left field.
When the Pirates loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Bednar stood to be the winning pitcher if the team rallied for the lead. Two strikeouts ended the threat, however.
“We had a real shot there,” Andy Bednar said. “David getting the win would have been the perfect ending, but that didn't spoil the day for us.
“Not at all.”
The Bednar family had 26 people filling up two suites down the left field line for Thursday's game. Another 10 or 12 family members and friends were in the stands.
When David's name was announced during pre-game introductions and he jogged out of the dugout, “we all just erupted,” his father said.
They weren't alone.“There were only 7,000 people there, but they were loud,” said Frank Merigliano, David's longtime coach with the Pittsburgh Diamond Dawgs. “They really supported him. I can't imagine what the noise level would have been if there were 47,000 people in that place.”Merigliano coached Bednar when the latter was 13 years old, right up through his college years.Bednar's entry music out of the bullpen is “Renegade.”“When the bullpen gate opened, he came out and they hit that song ... it was nuts,” Merigliano said.Eric Henze, one of Bednar's uncles, drove in with his family from Columbus for the game. He also attended Pirates games in Chicago and Cincinnati on the season-opening road trip.“Our entire family is close-knit and our lives have revolved around sports, particularly baseball,” Henze said. “None of us was going to miss this. This was a pinnacle moment for all of us.“I traveled around and saw more than 40 of David's games when he was pitching Class A ball for Fort Wayne (Ind.). I was the only guy in the stands in (Grand Rapids) Michigan wearing a Tin Caps jersey. I loved every minute of it.“A 35th-round draft choice (by San Diego), the 1,044th player picked, and he made the climb, I mean, what a story,” Henze added.George Bednar, another uncle, recalled watching David play youth, high school and travel ball.“Baseball is our family sport,” he said. “To see what I saw today ... I'm at a loss for words.”
David Bednar's sister, Danielle, a junior shortstop for the Mars varsity softball team, had the walk-off game-winning hit Wednesday. His younger brother, Will, pitches for Mississippi State University and will start Saturday's game at Auburn.Their parents, Andy and Sue Bednar, drove 2,100 miles last weekend to watch Will pitch in Mississippi and David pitch at Chicago's Wrigley Field.Andy Bednar watched his daughter play Wednesday, his son pitch at PNC Park Thursday and is flying to Alabama Friday to watch Will pitch.“I love it,” he said.So does Will Bednar, himself a pro prospect who will likely be chosen in the Major League Baseball amateur draft in July.Will was on the team bus to Auburn while the Pirates were playing Thursday.“It bothers me a little I couldn't be there,” Will admitted of missing his brother's home debut. “But we're playing at the same time and that stuff is going to happen.“I'm proud of my brother. He's been such a role model for my sister and me. I watched him pitch a lot in the minors and it's been fun watching him progress.”It's even more fun for the family now that he's wearing a Pirates uniform.“David's giving people a reason to watch the Pirates right now,” Merigliano said. “I've watched the Pirates play more in the last six days than I have in the last 10 years.“Him making the major leagues, then getting traded to his hometown team, those odds are like winning the lottery.”Henze is simply thankful for the moment.“That's such a great family,” he said. “David, Will, Danielle are humble, grateful, character-driven people. They deserve all of this.“I will never forget this day.”
