TAMPA 每 It was right here just a handful of weeks ago that Devin Williams and his ※Airbender§ changeup were a must-see attraction for Yankees players and coaches, who gathered on a practice diamond at the George M. Steinbrenner Field complex for their first looks at one of baseball＊s most devastating offerings.
It did not fail to impress, yet Williams＊ first month of regular-season duty as the club＊s new closer has been bumpier than anyone expected. Assigned to protect a four-run lead in the ninth inning on Saturday, Williams faltered, coughing up the advantage in a 10-8 loss to the Rays decided by Jonathan Aranda＊s walk-off homer an inning later.
※A four-run lead, you＊d like to get in and get out,§ Williams said. ※I made some good pitches, made some bad ones. Not enough good ones today.§
The stunning ending snapped the Yankees＊ five-game winning streak. Tampa Bay did not lead until the final pitch, a Yoendrys G車mez fastball that Aranda slugged over the wall in right field.
The outing should have been light work for Williams, a two-time National League Reliever of the Year who was acquired from the Brewers on Dec. 13. In fact, the Yanks＊ win expectancy stood at 99.4% when Williams induced a Kameron Misner groundout with his third pitch.
Those odds shifted dramatically over the next several minutes. Third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera committed a throwing error on Jos谷 Caballero＊s one-out ground-ball single to send Caballero to second, ahead of a five-pitch walk to No. 9 hitter Ben Rortvedt.
Chandler Simpson connected for his first Major League hit, a run-scoring ground-rule double to deep left, and Yandy D赤az followed with an infield single to shortstop Anthony Volpe that brought in another run. Soon, it was anyone＊s game.
※They put some good at-bats together at the end,§ said Aaron Judge, who had three hits and three RBIs. ※That＊s what the Rays have always done. They put the ball in play, they make things happen. We just couldn＊t close this one out.§
Brandon Lowe tied the game with a two-run single off Williams, who has allowed nine runs (eight earned) across his first eight innings as a Yankee (9.00 ERA).
※I＊d like to have that one back,§ Williams said of the pitch to Lowe. ※Tough luck on the [Simpson] double down the line, but aside from that, I thought I threw the ball pretty well.§
Lowe said that his plan was to anticipate the changeup, which Williams has used 56.4% of the time this year (up from 45% last year).
※Guys tend to gravitate toward their best pitch. He's got one of the best changeups in the game,§ Lowe said. ※[So you are] just understanding that that's going to be the pitch that he goes to."
Indeed, the Airbender remains Williams＊ most trusted weapon, a pitch that bears some qualities of a knuckleball, though he＊s still in the process of fine-tuning it.
※We＊ve got a long way to go; it＊s a little bump here early,§ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. ※He＊s got all the equipment to get through it.§
Williams had four consecutive scoreless appearances before Saturday, but mixed into his numbers are a shaky Opening Day save against his former club, a walk-off loss to the Pirates and a three-run outing against the Tigers in which he had to be bailed out by Mark Leiter Jr.
Opponents are 6-for-21 (.286) off Williams＊ changeup, including three hits Saturday. He has a 22.4% whiff rate and a 16.7% K rate on the pitch, with a .486 expected slugging percentage. That＊s a drastic shift from 2024, when opponents hit .162 with a 48.8% whiff rate, a 51.2% K rate and a .161 xSLG.
Asked why that might be, Williams replied: ※I don＊t know. Maybe using it too much, to be honest with you. So we＊ll work on that.§
Though Luke Weaver was dominant in locking down a save Friday, his second of the season, Williams＊ closer role appears secure.
Weaver excelled as a fill-in last September and October in place of Clay Holmes. But the Yankees have made it clear the ninth innings will continue to belong to Williams, banking on a career resume that included two NL All-Star selections and a 1.86 career ERA entering this season.
※We went out and got him for a reason. He＊s the best closer in the game,§ Judge said. ※We＊ve got a long season. This guy is going to save a lot of ballgames for us and help us out. I＊m not worried at all. He knows what he needs to do. He＊ll go out there and figure it out.
※Everybody in this room, we want him coming out of the bullpen 每 especially in a tight game, close game, guys on base, not on base. That＊s who we want on the mound. Nobody in here is worried. He＊s going to get the job done.§