{"id":89184,"date":"2025-09-07T08:12:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T08:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=89184"},"modified":"2025-09-07T08:12:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T08:12:03","slug":"yankees-elite-reliever-praises-fellow-bullpen-star-he-has-everything-a-high-leverage-guy-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=89184","title":{"rendered":"Yankees&#8217; elite reliever praises fellow bullpen star: &#8216;He has everything a high-leverage guy needs&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The New York Yankees didn\u2019t light up the scoreboard Saturday night, but their arms carried the load against Toronto.<\/p>\n<p>Only three runs crossed for the Yankees, which meant Luis Gil had to grind and the bullpen needed perfection.<\/p>\n<p>Gil wasn\u2019t overpowering, but he held the Blue Jays to just one run across six innings, battling through difficult counts.<\/p>\n<p>Gil looked like a pitcher working without his sharpest weapons, but still found ways to keep hitters uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>His fastball lacked its best command, yet his poise let him strand runners and limit Toronto\u2019s rallies despite walking four.<\/p>\n<p>That kind of resilience often defines successful starters \u2014 finding a way to compete even when the arsenal feels incomplete.<\/p>\n<p>The game shifted to the bullpen, where Aaron Boone immediately turned to his most reliable high-leverage arms.<\/p>\n<p>Luke Weaver bridged the seventh inning with two outs before handing things off to Fernando Cruz and David Bednar.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1250,height=834,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MLB-Baltimore-Orioles-at-New-York-Yankees-26509928.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=428,height=286,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MLB-Baltimore-Orioles-at-New-York-Yankees-26509928-scaled.jpg 430w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=858,height=572,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MLB-Baltimore-Orioles-at-New-York-Yankees-26509928-scaled.jpg 858w\" alt=\"Yankees' elite reliever praises fellow bullpen star: 'He has everything a high-leverage guy needs'\" \/><figcaption>Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It was the type of script Yankees fans should expect when a starter delivers six innings with a slim advantage in October.<\/p>\n<p>Cruz has been nothing short of spectacular since returning from an oblique strain, showing no signs of slowing down.<\/p>\n<p>His season ERA dropped to a sharp 2.66 after Saturday\u2019s outing, paired with 65 strikeouts in just 40.2 innings pitched.<\/p>\n<p>Cruz combines deception with aggressiveness, attacking hitters with precision while maintaining the composure of a pitcher who trusts his stuff.<\/p>\n<p>When it mattered most, David Bednar came in and immediately slammed the door on Toronto\u2019s late-inning hopes.<\/p>\n<p>The right-hander secured four outs, striking out three, while showing the mix of power and finesse that defines him.<\/p>\n<p>His 2025 season ERA now sits at 2.52, with 76 strikeouts between his Pirates and Yankees stints this year.<\/p>\n<p>After the game, Fernando Cruz couldn\u2019t hide his admiration for Bednar, praising the closer\u2019s arsenal and mentality.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s nasty. He has everything a high-leverage guy needs. We\u2019re blessed to have him,\u201d Cruz told MLB.com\u2019s Bryan Hoch.<\/p>\n<figure>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BryanHoch\/status\/1964461521905602871<\/figure>\n<p>That type of praise carries weight, especially coming from a fellow late-inning weapon who understands the role\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1250,height=833,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MLB-Toronto-Blue-Jays-at-New-York-Yankees-27020590.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=428,height=285,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MLB-Toronto-Blue-Jays-at-New-York-Yankees-27020590-scaled.jpg 430w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=858,height=571,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MLB-Toronto-Blue-Jays-at-New-York-Yankees-27020590-scaled.jpg 858w\" alt=\"Yankees' elite reliever praises fellow bullpen star: 'He has everything a high-leverage guy needs'\" \/><figcaption>Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bednar isn\u2019t just a thrower \u2014 he\u2019s a closer who carefully crafts each at-bat while keeping hitters guessing constantly.<\/p>\n<p>His high-90s fastball overpowers, but his sweeping curveball works like a trapdoor, disappearing from the zone with precision.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s like watching a heavyweight boxer mix thunderous punches with crafty footwork \u2014 force and guile working in unison.<\/p>\n<p>While Camilo Doval and Jake Bird haven\u2019t delivered the expected consistency, Bednar and Cruz have carried the bullpen.<\/p>\n<p>Their presence has given Boone a stabilizing late-inning duo, creating a formula that feels sustainable as September intensifies.<\/p>\n<p>With Gil, Cruz, and Bednar thriving, the Yankees proved Saturday they can grind out wins without explosive offensive firepower.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: Yankees 3, Blue Jays 1: Good news and bad news after pesky series-tying win vs. Toronto<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yankees right-hander Fernando Cruz is impressed with David Bednar&#8217;s poise and demeanor in high-leverage situations. Both give New York a pair of bullpen aces<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":89185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Yankees&#039; elite reliever praises fellow bullpen star: &#039;He has everything a high-leverage guy needs&#039; - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=89184\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yankees&#039; elite reliever praises fellow bullpen star: &#039;He has everything a high-leverage guy needs&#039; - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yankees right-hander Fernando Cruz is impressed with David Bednar&#039;s poise and demeanor in high-leverage situations. 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