Snubbed no longer: Bednar named an All-Star for second straight year

LOS ANGELES -- You know, you can't buy I.C. Light on the west coast. It's strictly a Pittsburgh delicacy. 

It was also Derek Shelton's All-Star gift for David Bednar a year ago. Tradition usually calls for a bottle of champagne or bourbon from the manager as he announces an All-Star. But come on, Bednar is the yinzer. There's only one choice for him.

So Shelton bought another case Sunday preparing to give it to Bednar. The problem was he found out after that Mitch Keller was the team's only selection and the Pirates were about to go on the road.

"I just told Bones [equipment and clubhouse manager Scott Bonnett] 'I still think he's got a chance, he's so close,' " Shelton said. "So, it was packed and ready to go." 

Shelton's hunch was right. Bednar was named to his second consecutive All-Star game Tuesday as a replacement for Clayton Kershaw, who was placed on the injured list Monday.

"A little bit of a roller coaster of emotions, for sure," Bednar said in Dodger Stadium's visitor's dugout. "It’s really humbling. It’s such an incredible honor and I’m really proud to represent the Pirates, Pittsburgh and go with Mitch and Shelty. It should be awesome."

Oh, and he loved the gift, and his manager's confidence to bring it along even after being snubbed:

"That’s big time out of him and I really appreciate that making that whole thing even more special," Bednar said.

Bednar certainly had a compelling case to be an All-Star, which includes a 1.44 ERA over his 31 1/3 innings pitched, some of the best peripherals in the league and 16 saves in 17 opportunities.

In fact, he has done better pretty much in every regard compared to his All-Star campaign last year, making his omission puzzling. The National League pitching staff originally consisted of eight starting pitchers and four relievers, and of the four relievers, three were their teams' only representative. Despite ranking as one of the game's top relievers, there just weren't many spots available.

"I just took it in stride," Bednar said. "You never know what can happen, but at the end of the day, all I care about us is winning some games. Obviously, this stuff is a really cool honor, but it wasn’t the end of the world. On the flip side, this is a really cool and awesome honor. I’m pumped up."

Now that Bednar knows he's heading to Seattle for the All-Star game, though, it helps cement his status as one of the game's top relievers, as if the results and spot on the World Baseball Classic roster this spring didn't already do that.

"I think it does put you in a little bit of a different class, which I think he deserves," Shelton said. 

It also puts him in a different class in Pirates' history. This is Bednar's second straight year where he will represent the Pirates in the All-Star game. Other Pirate relievers who have been named to multiple All-Star games are Roy Face (six from 1959-1961), Mark Melancon (2013, 2015-2016), Felipe Vazquez (2018-2019), Joel Hanrahan (2011-2012) and Mike Williams (2002, 2003).

"It’s really humbling," Bednar said. "This is beyond my all of my wildest dreams. I’m so blessed to have this opportunity. I’ve just been putting my head down and grinding. Whenever things like this come up, it’s really special and it takes you back for a second." 

This will be the first time since 2015 that the Pirates will send multiple pitchers to the midsummer classic. When he was left off the initial roster, Bednar opted to talk about how excited he was for his friend and teammate, Keller.

Keller reciprocated the sentiment Tuesday, especially since he was as surprised as anyone that Bednar was originally snubbed.

"He deserves it more than anyone," Keller said. "I was kind of sad the day I found out he wasn't going. I was expecting [Shelton] to say his name as well. When he told me that he wasn't selected at first, I was like, 'that's kind of B.S.' "

Well, it's been rectified, even if it came at the cost of a future Hall of Famer being hurt. But Bednar made sure to send him a get well present:

As for the rest of the case, how long are they for this world?

"Definitely not long, I would say," Bednar joked. "On the Fourth of July, too? Those things don’t stand a chance."