Aaron Boone walked to the mound with two on and two outs in the ninth inning planning to pull David Bednar.
When Boone walked back to the Yankees’ dugout, the big right-handed reliever was back on the mound.
He had given Boone that look, the one that says, “No way you’re pulling me out of the game right now.”
Bednar struck out Adolis Garcia to end the game and secure a 3-2 win for New York, the first save in a Yankees uniform for the former Pirates closer acquired at the trade deadline.
The Yanks had actually brought Bednar in with one out in the eighth inning, and after walking Joc Pederson, he struck out Kyle Higashioka and Josh Smith to go to the ninth.
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Bednar stayed in, and he struck out Rowdy Tellez and Sam Haggerty to start bottom nine.
But then, he walked Corey Seager and gave up a single to Marcus Semien.
That’s when Boone wanted to pull Bednar, but he didn’t give in, and he proved his insistence worthwhile with the game-ending punchout.
“That’s a dawg effort right there,” Boone told reporters after the game.
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Bednar needed this.
His first outing with the Yankees came Aug. 1 against the Marlins, and he allowed four hits and two runs.
He rebounded with a scoreless outing on Monday in Texas, but he hadn’t been given a save chance yet.
And here he was, going for a five-out save.
As it turns out, all five of Bednar’s outs were strikeouts, and he was fired up after the last one.
The Yanks went all-in on bullpen before the deadline, and it didn’t get off to a great start.
Now, though, Bednar looks like he belongs, and it’s a big boost for the Bronx Bombers.
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