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DETROIT – It’s been a cold, cruel beginning to Devin Williams’ pinstriped career.
“Haven’t felt, like, 100 percent myself up to this point,’’ said the new Yankees closer, following his latest underwhelming performance, at chilly Comerica Park.
Handed a four-run lead to begin Wednesday’s ninth inning, Williams was lifted after yielding three runs and exited with the tying run on second base.
Mark Leiter Jr. entered and quickly recorded the final out to seal a 4-3 victory against the Detroit Tigers.
That unexpected save by Leiter Jr. preserved Max Fried’s 11-strikeout gem across seven shutout innings and snapped a three-game Yankees losing streak.
Yet, still lingering in the frigid Detroit air was the question about Williams’ shaky start to 2025.
“I’m still figuring stuff out,’’ said Williams. “Physically, I’m fine. You need game reps and things like that.’’
Williams, 30, has pitched in four of the Yankees’ first 12 games, yielding four runs, five hits and four walks in three innings, with five strikeouts.
After crediting Detroit batters “for really laying off a lot of tough pitches’’ against Williams, manager Aaron Boone added: “He hasn’t had a lot of work, either. That’s part of it, too.’’
Two walks, including to Spencer Torkelson to start the ninth, and a wild pitch contributed to Williams’ misery in a non-save situation – forcing Leiter Jr. into a rescue spot.
“He’s going to pick us up all year,’’ Leiter Jr. said of picking up his bullpen mate, who is slightly at a loss for his lack of execution.
“Getting ahead in counts, I’m not doing that,’’ said Williams. “It’s hard as a reliever to (work on) stuff between outings.’’
Williams’ early-season inconsistency extends to his signature “Airbender’’ changeup, but “this isn’t the first time I’ve started the season off on the wrong foot.
“All you can do is keep working, you know?’’
During his seven-year MLB career, March-April is Williams’ most challenging period, posting the highest OPS (.671) and ERA (3.03), and the lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.19) of any calendar month.
“I don’t think it’s far off,’’ Boone said of Williams finding his stride. “It’s just that next level of execution. He’ll get there.’’
Boone’s reasoning is that Williams’ stuff is “not far off,’’ and that once he begins dictating counts, “he’ll be fine.’’
This is Williams’ free agent walk year, having arrived from Milwaukee in a trade that sent Nestor Cortes to the Brewers.
And Williams’ work in Milwaukee was superb, posting a combined 1.66 ERA during his previous three seasons, with a 252 ERA-plus and 0.965 WHIP in 148 appearances.
But to Yankees’ Universe, Williams’ first impression hasn’t been a good one.
And their impatience was on display Opening Day, when Williams loaded the bases with none out before saving a 4-2 win against his old Milwaukee club.
“(My) fastball and changeup need to be better location-wise,’’ Williams said of the antidote. “I feel if I’m locating, the problem solves itself.’’
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Devin Williams: NY Yankees’ closer working to find his All-Star level
Continue reading...
“Haven’t felt, like, 100 percent myself up to this point,’’ said the new Yankees closer, following his latest underwhelming performance, at chilly Comerica Park.
Handed a four-run lead to begin Wednesday’s ninth inning, Williams was lifted after yielding three runs and exited with the tying run on second base.
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Mark Leiter Jr. entered and quickly recorded the final out to seal a 4-3 victory against the Detroit Tigers.
That unexpected save by Leiter Jr. preserved Max Fried’s 11-strikeout gem across seven shutout innings and snapped a three-game Yankees losing streak.
Yet, still lingering in the frigid Detroit air was the question about Williams’ shaky start to 2025.
“I’m still figuring stuff out,’’ said Williams. “Physically, I’m fine. You need game reps and things like that.’’
Williams, 30, has pitched in four of the Yankees’ first 12 games, yielding four runs, five hits and four walks in three innings, with five strikeouts.
After crediting Detroit batters “for really laying off a lot of tough pitches’’ against Williams, manager Aaron Boone added: “He hasn’t had a lot of work, either. That’s part of it, too.’’
Two walks, including to Spencer Torkelson to start the ninth, and a wild pitch contributed to Williams’ misery in a non-save situation – forcing Leiter Jr. into a rescue spot.
“He’s going to pick us up all year,’’ Leiter Jr. said of picking up his bullpen mate, who is slightly at a loss for his lack of execution.
“Getting ahead in counts, I’m not doing that,’’ said Williams. “It’s hard as a reliever to (work on) stuff between outings.’’
Williams’ early-season inconsistency extends to his signature “Airbender’’ changeup, but “this isn’t the first time I’ve started the season off on the wrong foot.
“All you can do is keep working, you know?’’
Devin Williams' history of slow starts
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During his seven-year MLB career, March-April is Williams’ most challenging period, posting the highest OPS (.671) and ERA (3.03), and the lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.19) of any calendar month.
“I don’t think it’s far off,’’ Boone said of Williams finding his stride. “It’s just that next level of execution. He’ll get there.’’
Boone’s reasoning is that Williams’ stuff is “not far off,’’ and that once he begins dictating counts, “he’ll be fine.’’
This is Williams’ free agent walk year, having arrived from Milwaukee in a trade that sent Nestor Cortes to the Brewers.
And Williams’ work in Milwaukee was superb, posting a combined 1.66 ERA during his previous three seasons, with a 252 ERA-plus and 0.965 WHIP in 148 appearances.
But to Yankees’ Universe, Williams’ first impression hasn’t been a good one.
And their impatience was on display Opening Day, when Williams loaded the bases with none out before saving a 4-2 win against his old Milwaukee club.
“(My) fastball and changeup need to be better location-wise,’’ Williams said of the antidote. “I feel if I’m locating, the problem solves itself.’’
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Devin Williams: NY Yankees’ closer working to find his All-Star level
Continue reading...
