Bednar completed a five-out save, helping the New York Yankees end their five-game losing streak.

Today, the New York Yankees managed to avert a crisis—or at least delay it—thanks to a crucial hit from Paul Goldschmidt and an extended save from new right-hander David Bednar.

Goldschmidt came off the bench in the seventh inning against the Rangers and hit a go-ahead home run, leading the Yankees to a 3-2 victory. With Bednar's five-out save, the Yankees finally ended their five-game losing streak and maintained their lead over the Rangers and Guardians in the AL Wild Card standings, sitting in third place.

Bednar was ultimately entrusted with the task of preserving the one-run lead, putting in extra effort by throwing 42 pitches (25 strikes) over 1.2 innings, securing his 18th save of the season and his first as a Yankee. All five of Bednar's outs came via strikeouts.

“What an amazing and courageous effort,” said manager Aaron Boone when discussing Bednar's performance.

The pitcher, who joined from the Pirates at the trade deadline, hadn’t thrown this many pitches in a game since 2022. When he threw 35 pitches with two on and two out in the ninth, he looked exhausted. At that moment, Boone walked out from the dugout.

The head coach said he was fully prepared to take Bednar out at that point. However, Bednar convinced Boone to let him continue facing Adolis García. García swung and missed on the seventh pitch of the at-bat.

“I didn’t even see him come out,” Bednar said about Boone’s visit to the mound. “I was just trying to reset my mind and get ready to face García. I told (Boone) I wanted to pitch, and he agreed. I just wanted to bear down and get that last out.”

Bednar entered in the eighth inning with one out and struck out the first four batters he faced before encountering trouble. He walked Corey Seager and allowed a weak hit to Marcus Semien. That’s when Boone approached the mound.

“To be honest, I was planning to take him out,” Boone said. “I told him, ‘I’m going to take you out,’ and he gave me a look like, ‘No, you’re not.’ I asked, ‘Are you sure?’ He said, ‘Yes, let’s go—I can get this guy,’ and that’s what we did. … It was a dogged mentality. I love that mindset.”

In the first two games of the series, the Yankees' bullpen had given up runs while leading. However, on Wednesday, Bednar and three other relievers combined to keep the Rangers scoreless over the final four innings. The quartet of Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill, Yerry de los Santos, and Bednar effectively solidified the defense after starter Carlos Rodón pitched just over five innings, often in tight situations. Rodón allowed six hits and four walks but limited the Rangers to two runs, handing a tie game to the bullpen.

“It was a bit like a battle. … I sometimes fall behind hitters and just try to minimize the damage,” Rodón said. “Obviously, I want to pitch longer and be more efficient. The walks didn’t help. I need to get ahead and get outs faster.”

The Yankees' infielders helped Rodón escape trouble with key double plays in the second, third, and sixth innings. Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was involved in every outstanding defensive play, including an impressive dive to the left in the second inning, followed by a long and perfect throw to second base.

It was the defense that kept the Yankees in the game until Goldschmidt helped them take the lead.

Goldschmidt did not start against right-hander Jack Leiter but came off the bench to face struggling Rangers reliever Robert Garcia. After falling behind 0-2, Goldschmidt hit a home run into the left-field stands on a fastball that was too central after hitting the third pitch.

In the previous game, where the bullpen collapsed and the team lost 8-5 in the 10th inning, Goldschmidt had three hits, but his performance was overshadowed. Before arriving in Texas, he was in a slump, going 2-for-24 (.083), but in this series, he went 4-for-10, including two home runs and a double. For the veteran with 15 years of experience, coming off the bench isn’t common, but it was clear he was composed in today’s game.

“I treated it like my first at-bat of the game,” Goldschmidt said. “I didn’t want to overthink it or do anything different; I just tried to be ready, just like I would for my first at-bat. I think hitting first helps a bit; you just have to be ready when you step into the box. So that was my mindset. I was fortunate to get the job done today.”