Why this Buc's ASG debut was (almost) perfect

This story was excerpted from Justice delos Santos’ Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PNC Park is about 2,500 miles away from Dodger Stadium. The two ballparks are located on completely different sides of the country. The two cities in which they reside are, in short, starkly different from one another. But in the top of the ninth inning at the 92nd Midsummer Classic, the two cathedrals were, if for but a moment, connected.

Oh, Momma, I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law.

For about 20 seconds, the familiar tune of “Renegade” by Styx rang throughout Chavez Ravine. That meant David Bednar was coming in to pitch. Bednar, the 35th-round draft selection, the Pirates fan turned Pirates All-Star, was to represent the National League at Dodger Stadium in the ninth inning of an All-Star Game. The moment was just about perfect, what he had dreamed it to be.

He just wishes they played his song a tad longer.

“I was hoping for a little more [Renegade], but we’ll take what we can get,” Bednar laughed.

Bednar didn't exhibit any nerves in his first All-Star Game outing. He threw a scoreless inning, all three outs coming on grounders. The only blip on his line was an eight-pitch walk to the Blue Jays’ Santiago Espinal. While the Dodger Stadium sound system did cut the song off right when “The jig is up!” was about to blare through the stadium, Bednar was too engulfed in the magnitude of the moment after the game to bicker over small details.

“This whole thing has just been unbelievable and beyond my wildest dreams, honestly.”

Bednar had actually begun warming up in the fourth inning, as Tony Gonsolin found himself in a high-stress frame. The Dodgers right-hander had allowed three runs, all three coming on back-to-back homers to Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton. Gonsolin's pitch count was rising, and if he couldn't limit the damage, Bednar was in line to finish the inning. Alas, on his 29th pitch of the frame, Gonsolin got Alejandro Kirk to ground out. Bednar remained in the bullpen, unsure if he’d get his opportunity.

“Tried to stay locked in, just in case,” Bednar said. “It was fun watching everyone else throw. They were throwing nasty.”

Several innings later, Bednar got the call.

The All-Star Game wasn’t the only memorable moment that Bednar has had at Dodger Stadium this season. Back on May 30, Bednar grinded out a two-inning, 50-pitch outing against the Dodgers, blowing the save in the bottom of the eighth inning, but pitching a scoreless ninth inning when the Pirates re-gained the lead. It was one of the signature outings that made Bednar an All-Star in the first place.