Yankees’ New Recruits Have Rocky Debut
MIAMI – Jake Bird and David Bednar met up at Denver airport around midnight Thursday, then made their way to Miami before joining the Yankees.
Their journey spanned approximately 1,700 miles and represented a significant moment for them—arriving at one of the most famous baseball teams in the world. They were stepping into a critical Pennant Race, hoping to contribute to a championship run, despite starting from last place.
However, their initial excitement quickly turned sour. In their first game with the Yankees, they found themselves part of a nail-biting 13-12 loss against the Marlins at Randepot Park.
Bird was the first of the two to enter the bullpen and took the mound for the Yankees.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Yankees seemingly in control with a 9-4 lead, Bird allowed a single hit to Agustin Ramirez from the right field wall.
After Bird gave up a hit to Heliberto Hernandez, Otto Lopez quickly followed with a single from the left side, advancing the runners to second and third base.
With Bednar warming up, Bird then walked Liam Hicks, loading the bases and prompting a visit from pitching coach Matt Blake. Manager Aaron Boone was later asked if he considered bringing Bednar in at that moment, especially with Bednar’s success against left-handed hitters this season.
“A little bit, but then I was really short [on the game],” Boone said. He noted that Tim Hill, Luke Weaver, and nearby Devin Williams were unavailable due to recent game use.
The situation escalated when a deep fly ball hit by a Marlin soared over Jasson Dominguez’s head and cleared the wall.
“It’s just not going to run the pitch on my abilities,” Bird commented after the game. “I need to do better there, and I will.” The 29-year-old Bird, who joined from a struggling Rockies team with a 4-1 record, seemed at a loss for words regarding the poor performance.
“I think it’s one of those situations where you just need a little extra focus and intention. You don’t want games like this to happen, but they do,” he added.
The Yankees still led 9-8 when Bednar took the mound. Although it wasn’t a save situation yet, Bednar, a former Pirate, was ready to seize the opportunity.
Bednar managed to force a groundout but then surrendered a homer to Javier Samoja, which was followed by a double from Jacob Marcy, an infield single by Xavier Edwards, and a go-ahead single from Ramirez.
“It’s definitely not an ideal start,” Bednar reflected. “But the guys stepped up for me, and I managed to get through those two innings without any further damage. That’s just part of being a rescuer—sometimes things go wrong, and it’s about how you handle the rebound.”
