Williams feeling the Airbender in his Yankees spring debut

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- For weeks, Yankees players and coaches alike have peeked through chain-link fences and over dugout railings for in-person study of Devin Williams’ “Airbender,” a pitch so good it deserves a trademark nickname.

The Yankees’ new closer flashed that offering in a game situation for the first time on Tuesday, registering a strikeout in a scoreless fourth inning. The Yankees defeated the Phillies, 12-3, in Grapefruit League action at BayCare Ballpark.

“I feel like it’s in a good spot,” Williams said. “I was kind of playing around with it today and had a good feel for it, so I’m happy.”

Williams, a two-time National League Reliever of the Year acquired from the Brewers in December, hardly had to break a sweat in an efficient 12-pitch inning. Williams induced Alec Bohm to ground out, permitted a Kyle Schwarber single, struck out J.T. Realmuto swinging, then induced Max Kepler to foul out.

The Realmuto at-bat lasted five pitches, with Williams throwing all changeups. Realmuto flailed at a 2-2 offering that sailed outside, falling off the table. Speaking of the “Airbender,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone called it “a wicked, freak pitch” that complements Williams’ mid-90s fastball.

“The bottom just falls out of it,” Boone said. “It just dies at the plate. It was very unique when I was watching it for the first time; it’s like, ‘Wow.’ It’s almost like a combination of a forkball, knuckleball, changeup.”

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Added catcher Austin Wells: “It doesn’t really do the same thing every time. It’s a hard pitch to try and match a swing to, and it has different speeds and movement. It’s a great pitch; that’s what makes him so good.”

Williams said Realmuto’s strikeout did not provide as much feedback as his own sense for the pitch, as well as the advanced data.

“I don’t really need the swing to know that,” Williams said. “It’s kind of a feel thing. If it feels right, I usually know. Then we look at the computer, and it tells me that it’s doing what it’s supposed to do.”

Williams threw five fastballs, six changeups and one cutter in the outing. The cutter, which he threw to Schwarber, is a spring project that has yielded mixed results. Williams said Trent Grisham recently belted one into a pond beyond the fence of a practice diamond at George M. Steinbrenner Field, suggesting there is more work to do.

“I put it right where I wanted today,” Williams said. “It might be a weapon for me this year.”

Warren's déjà vu outing

Will Warren made his big league debut against the Phillies last July 30 at Citizens Bank Park, when he navigated 5 1/3 innings in a 7-6 Yankees victory.

As he prepared for Tuesday’s Grapefruit League contest, the right-hander was pleased to realize some of the breakdowns he’d studied that day were still applicable.

“Some of the stuff I could remember, scouting-report wise, off the top of my head,” Warren said. “That was fun. It was a playoff-caliber team. … It was just a cool experience overall. Looking back at [the debut], I wish I would have taken it in more. I think I was just going out there and trying to do my job, giving us a chance to win.”

With some help from that retained knowledge, Warren continued his strong spring with three sharp innings, surrendering just a solo Kepler homer while throwing 30 of 47 pitches for strikes. Boone said Warren was “excellent,” lauding his fastball life and changeup movement.

Warren walked one and struck out four; the homer came on a curveball, a pitch Warren has been dusting off after not throwing it last season.

“We talked about it in the dugout a little bit; ‘Let’s go throw him one and see if we can get a swing on him,’” Warren said, adding with a grin. “When I came back in, I was like, ‘We got a swing.’ He’s an aggressive, good hitter. He didn’t miss.”

The kid belongs

George Lombard Jr. has been one of the most impressive players in camp thus far, and Tuesday marked another solid day for the 19-year-old prospect, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Lombard’s second-inning RBI single came off Zack Wheeler, a two-time All-Star who was the runner-up to the Braves’ Chris Sale in last year’s National League Cy Young balloting. Lombard didn’t seem intimidated.

“I feel comfortable, and I feel like my swing is in a pretty good spot right now,” Lombard said. “It’s still baseball. They’re still throwing from the same mound. You just go out there, try to stick with your plan and put a good swing on a ball.”

Lombard is likely to begin the season with High-A Hudson Valley. For now, Boone said Lombard has “earned those extra reps” to face veterans like Wheeler and Ranger Suárez.

“You can tell he really likes the game,” Boone said. “I feel like he has a really good competitive focus. You really watch him lock in. The makeup is real. He’s got a special little energy about him, and a quiet intensity that’s present every day.”