The Yankees needed a hero in the ninth inning, and David Bednar delivered a masterclass in fastball execution that kept the team alive. While the game ended in a loss, the sequence against Everson Pereira showed exactly why Bednar is the most lethal reliever in the league right now. According to Pinstripe Alley, Bednar had extended his scoreless inning streak to 24 frames before that one bad pitch, proving his dominance was real even if the final result was not.
The Fastball That Broke Pereira
Everson Pereira struggles against high heat, a fact that Bednar exploited with surgical precision. A 97 mph four-seamer up and away that nipped the corner began the at-bat as a called strike for the pitcher. This pitch set the tone and opened up the entire zone for the rest of the sequence. Pinstripe Alley noted that Bednar’s four-seamer has ticked up in both velocity and location during this run of dominance. Pereira swung right through a second high fastball while climbing the ladder, failing to lift his swing path to match the ball’s plane. The execution was flawless, leaving the hitter stranded and the Yankees breathing easy for a moment.
The Splitter Mistake That Cost It All
After two strikes, the situation called for the killer pitch, but the plan fell apart. Bednar tried to throw his splitter below the zone to get a chase, but the pitch spiked in front of the plate. This mistake gave Pereira an automatic take and ruined the rhythm Bednar had built. Pinstripe Alley reported that Bednar seemed unhappy with how the splitter felt coming out of his hand, so he went back to the four-seamer for the final three pitches. The third fastball dipped more toward the heart of the plate and lacked the rising life of the first two, setting up the two-run homer that Chase Meidroth eventually hit. One bad pitch undid 24 perfect frames of work.
Why This Sequence Defines the Bullpen
This at-bat highlights the razor-thin margin between a lights-out bullpen and a collapse. The Yankees have won four of the first six games on this ten-game road trip, mostly because of pitchers like Bednar who can dominate late. Although the team holds a strong position to win three out of four games against the White Sox, such lapses are unaffordable. Pinstripe Alley pointed out that while Pereira and teammate Munetaka Murakami struggle against fastballs above 95 mph, the splitter was the key to finishing them off. When the splitter misses the spot, the fastball gets hit. The Yankees must hope Bednar finds that spot again before the White Sox turn the series around.
