Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star relief pitcher David Bednar solved a fan conflict Monday night by gifting a pair of autograph baseballs to two young brothers in the stands of the Pirates' home game.
A couple took their boys Wesley and William to the Pirates game against the Cincinnati Reds Monday night at PNC Park.
Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds fouled a ball into the stands in the bottom of the first inning. William and Wesley's father caught the ball with his bare hands. Wesley grabbed the ball from his father, leaving William, his younger brother, in tears.
During a rain delay Bednar signed a pair of baseballs to give to the brothers, cheering up both of them. Pirates left fielder Jack Suwinski also threw a ball to the pair of brothers.
Both brothers were overjoyed to receive their gift.
"I was hoping for a signed ball from David Bednar," Wesley said, about his hopes before attending Monday's game.
Wesley's father confirmed that Wesley had told him on the way to the ballpark, he was hoping to get a ball autographed by Bednar.
Wesley and William's family is from Bednar's hometown of Mars, Pennsylvania, and the brothers even attended Bednar's baseball camp.
"Honestly, I had no idea," Bednar said. "I was doing my normal routine. I was heading out, and [sideline reporter] Robby [Incmikoski] had these two balls. He said, ‘I’m going to go give these to a fan.’ I was like, ‘Do you want me to sign them?’ I just ended up signing them. Come to find out, it was some Mars kid, and they actually ended up coming to [my camp that benefited Mars High School's baseball team], so that makes it even more special. It’s really cool. Watching the live feed and seeing their reactions is really funny and really cool, one of those full-circle-type things. That’s really what it’s all about. I was one of those kids once, and to see how much joy they had. They love coming to PNC Park and watching the Buccos. It was really cool to see how pumped up they were."
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