Waves of applause greeted Devin Williams as he left the mound during Game 3 of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium, a notable contrast to reactions earlier in his season with the New York Yankees. Williams described his first year with the team as turbulent but said he is open to returning.
“At first it was a challenge, but I’ve grown to love being here,” Williams said. “I love this city. I love taking the [subway] train to the field every day. I really enjoyed my experience here. … There’s a lot to like about this city, but it took me some time to adjust.”
Williams made these comments while packing up for the offseason after pitching four scoreless innings in the playoffs, though two inherited runners scored on Nathan Lukes’ hit in what became the Yankees’ final game.
His longest outing came in ALDS Game 3 against Toronto, when he pitched more than an inning for the only time all year and received strong support from fans. Williams noted that this crowd reaction “was definitely better than what I heard for much of the year.”
Teammate Tim Hill praised Williams’ efforts: “Devin is great. This game is hard. I always knew that Devin was the man. He’s been amazing. He’s always putting in the work, no matter what. And I saw that from the beginning.”
Williams, known for his “Airbender” changeup and twice named National League Reliever of the Year, joined New York after a trade with Milwaukee last December that sent Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin to the Brewers.
When arriving at Spring Training, Williams initially resisted shaving under a longstanding club grooming policy established in the 1970s. Discussions led Hal Steinbrenner to revise team rules so players could have well-groomed beards going forward.
Williams struggled early in his Yankees tenure and lost his closer role by late April to Luke Weaver, who finished as closer into postseason play and now faces free agency.
For much of the remainder of 2024, Williams worked as a setup reliever behind David Bednar before closing out September with nine straight scoreless appearances and regaining manager Aaron Boone’s trust.
Williams ended his season with a 4.79 ERA and 18 saves over 67 games, describing it as “pretty good” despite control issues.
“It’s not easy, the things he went through this year,” Boone said. “You’re one of the game’s great relievers and you come over here and have some hiccups early; he definitely faced his share of adversity, but he answered it at every turn.”
With free agency ahead after earning $8.6 million this season, Williams will join other prominent relievers such as Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez—both holding opt-out clauses—and potential free agents Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley, and Kenley Jansen.
Becoming a father during this period added new responsibilities for Williams as he adapted both on and off-field routines between Milwaukee’s small market environment and New York City’s demands.
“I played in the smallest market in the league [in Milwaukee], to the biggest market in the league,” Williams said. “I drove to the field every day; it took me 10 minutes to get there in Milwaukee. There’s just a lot of life stuff that’s an adjustment.
“I got here [to New York] a day before the season started and had to figure out my routine on the fly. The number of [media] people that want to talk to you, it was different. But I feel like I adjusted pretty well.”
