A longtime math teacher, Andy Bednar tells his students to think of success like a graph.
If the horizontal x-axis represents time, the vertical y-axis measures progress. For the lucky few, their graphs feature a straight line. Most have squiggles representing peaks and valleys. But so long as the line goes up, “you’re moving forward in a positive direction,” Andy told the Daily News.
“I often say success isn’t linear,” added the educator, who also coaches the baseball team at Mars Area High School, located just outside of Pittsburgh. “It’s up. It’s down. The people who have the most success in whatever their endeavor is are the ones who stay the course.”
Andy’s son, David, is living proof of that, as the Yankees’ closer, thriving ahead of his first postseason, found himself a demoted hometown hero not too long ago.
A member of the Pirates before being traded on July 31, David was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on April 1. The decision came after David recorded just three outs in his first three games of the season, as well as a 2024 campaign that saw the righty post a 5.77 ERA.
As bad as last season went, David said that getting demoted served as his “low point.” A two-time All-Star who logged a 2.25 ERA and 61 saves for Pittsburgh from 2021-2023, he described his return to the minors as “falling right back on my face” after an offseason of hard work.
Failing the organization he grew up rooting for only amplified his disappointment.
“At the time, it’s incredibly challenging,” David told The News. “Obviously, [it would be] anywhere, but especially in your hometown. You have an extra sense of pride putting on that uniform.
“I was probably every emotion in the book. Frustrated, upset, all of it.”
Those feelings didn’t last long, though, as David stopped by his parents’ home before reporting to Indianapolis. There, his dad and childhood coach told him, “You have a couple hours to sulk, and then it’s back to work.”
“He said, ‘Keep going,’” David recalled. “I remember he said, ‘This isn’t rock bottom, man. It’s still all right.’ When you get in those ruts, you kind of think everything’s so much bigger than it is, and then that makes it harder and harder to get out of.”
By day’s end, David, Andy and a family friend went to a nearby field for an impromptu bullpen session.
“He was ready to start moving forward,” Andy proudly said, though he didn’t want to take credit for his son’s mindset. “There was no magic bullet. It was just like, ‘Listen, there’s 30 [closers] in the world who do what you do, and very few of them go unscathed.’”
With some fatherly advice resonating, David also leaned on his wife, Casey; his brother, Will, a Giants minor league pitcher; his early-career scuffles in San Diego; and the chip he developed on his shoulder as a 35th-round draft pick who received minimal collegiate recruitment before starring at Lafayette.
Doubted before but never accepting dismissal, David was determined to turn his demotion into a positive experience.
“It’s really just looking yourself in the mirror and being like, ‘How do we get through this?’” he said. “‘Because it’s gotta stop now.’”
With the help of Pittsburgh’s Triple-A pitching coaches, David worked to adjust his curveball and splitter once he arrived in Indianapolis. He pitched well in the minors, allowing just one hit over five scoreless innings before earning his way back to the big leagues on April 19.
David continued to look like his best self after his promotion, pitching to the tune of a 1.70 ERA while striking out 50 batters, reclaiming ninth inning responsibilities, and saving 16 games over his last 37 innings as a Pirate.
Yet had it not been for David’s worst self, the Yankees may not have had the 30-year-old as high on their trade deadline wish list as they did.
After the team completed its swap for David — Pittsburgh acquired prospects Rafael Flores, Edgleen Perez and Brian Sanchez — Aaron Boone said that he had been “pounding the table” for the pitcher in conversations with the Yankees’ front office. When asked why, the manager cited David’s stumbles as a selling point.
“He’s been through some struggles in his career, even recently, and come out the other side probably even a better, more refined pitcher,” Boone responded. “He is a little battle-tested with a lot of success. An All-Star reliever, and [he’s] also fallen down when he’s gotten to the top.”
Pitching coach Matt Blake echoed that sentiment, as David’s toughest times told the Yankees that his makeup could withstand the burdens of the Bronx.
“We know it’s going to happen here, so if you can stress test them in some ways before they arrive in New York, you get a chance to see how they handle adversity,” Blake said. “Obviously, he’s had some ups and downs in his career and come back and been stronger for it.”
Andy completely understands the Yankees’ viewpoint.
He has the same take on his son’s worst moments, which is why David’s career is now part of the annual “success isn’t linear” speech that Andy shares with his Mars students and players.
“I used his story in every class today,” Andy, two days into the start of a new school year, said in mid-August. “I said, ‘Listen, he could have sulked and he could have been bummed out and depressed.’ And then I used the analogy, ‘If things don’t go well, you can complain about the teacher. That’s fine, but at the end of the day, you gotta be accountable for all your actions.’
“What he went through was that. It was perfect to a tee.”
As David continues to serve as inspiration in his hometown, he has remained a force with the playoff-bound Yankees, tallying a 2.19 ERA, 10 saves and 35 strikeouts over 24.2 innings and 21 games since the trade.
He has brought stability to the closer’s job, which Devin Williams lost twice this season, and dependability to a bullpen whose success graph would feature lots of squiggly lines.
“He’s a dog,” said Tim Hill, who first played with David in San Diego.
Another bullpen-mate feels a different animal better represents David.
“I call him ‘El Oso,’” Fernando Cruz said, using the Spanish word for bear. “He’s nasty. He has everything a high-leverage guy needs. We’re blessed to have him.”
The Yankees will find out just how true that is as they begin their postseason run with the rival Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, which begins Tuesday in the Bronx.
David has never tasted the playoffs before, but he is looking forward to pitching on baseball’s biggest stages this October after spending a chunk of April in the minors. A tough pill to swallow at first, he hopes the demotion helps him end his year on some high notes.
“Being able to get through that and past that, now there’s just a whole other layer of confidence and conviction that I have in myself,” David said. “”‘ve been very proud of myself to be able to crawl out of that.”
