MIAMI — Two tickets to paradise. Pack your baggage, we’ll go away tonight.
That might have been the soundtrack for pitchers David Bednar and Jake Chook, two relievers on last-place groups who bumped into one another unexpectedly within the Denver airport early Friday morning and boarded a flight to Miami to hitch the Yankees, who acquired them on the commerce deadline Thursday.
Their journey coated about 1,700 air miles, however greater than that, it delivered them from the depths of a season to the world’s most well-known baseball staff, a pennant race and an opportunity to win a championship in a couple of months.
Bednar, 30, was an ideal 17-for-17 in save alternatives for the Pirates.
The 29-year-old Chook had a 4-1 report for the Rockies, who had been 28-80 general. Now they had been standing within the clubhouse of a Yankees staff that entered Friday 3 ¹/₂ video games out of first place within the AL East.
Becoming a member of them had been former Giants nearer Camilo Doval and ex-Rays utility man Jose Caballero, who additionally had been acquired by GM Brian Cashman in a deadline frenzy.
“It’s huge,” stated Bednar, who sat a couple of rows behind Chook on the flight that landed in south Florida at 6:45 a.m. “Playing competitive baseball and playing to win a World Series is huge.”
Talking of his deal, Chook stated, “I thought it was a possibility, but when you’re with an organization for seven, eight years like I was, it was definitely a little bit of a surprise, but I’m excited.”

Doval comes from farther away however has a little bit of a shorter climb up the meals chain, leaving the near-.500 Giants. There, he went 4-2 with 15 saves.
“Trades are part of the sport and they happen, they happen quite a bit,” Doval stated. “If you get traded, you need to keep assured in what you do and also you’ve received to maintain shifting ahead.
“I was able to have a lot of dreams come true with the Giants organization,” the 28-year-old added. “They gave me my first opportunity to start my career, and now I get a new opportunity with the Yankees.”
The place the three newcomers get to pitch is on the discretion of Aaron Boone, who says they’ll fall in behind — or when it comes to recreation stream, forward of — nearer Devin Williams.
“Obviously, we are adding three significant relievers, guys who are outstanding back-end relievers,” Boone stated. “I nonetheless plan on Devin closing most video games. I don’t take a look at it as a seven or an eight, I’m going to place guys in the place I feel … typically the most important second within the recreation is an out within the sixth and the center of the order’s up.
“That’ll probably vary night to night,” the supervisor continued. “Hopefully, they’ll all kind of protect one another so they can all stay sharp, they can all stay fresh, and they can all be at their best every time they get the ball.”
The three new arms didn’t must be advised that. They know their locations fairly effectively.
“My motto is always whenever the phone rings to be ready to go and get outs,” Bednar stated.
“I’m going to be ready for whatever innings,” Doval added. “Once the team gives me the ball, I’m going to be ready to pitch that inning. Anything we can do to help the team.”
Boone stated he deliberate to conduct a brief staff assembly after batting observe to inform the gamers, new and outdated alike, that, “This is us.”
“It’s an exciting time in the sport. You never know what’s going to happen — if you’re going to be able to pull off some moves or not,” Boone stated. “I think [general manager Brian Cashman] and everyone in the front office did a great job putting us in a better place today. I feel like we have a team capable of going to chase it down now. We take our shot, and it’s on us to do it.”