The Milwaukee Brewers couldn’t have set things up any better for themselves as they went into the ninth inning of the final game in their NL Wild Card Series.
They had a 2-0 lead over the New York Mets. They had retired 12 Mets batters in a row. And they had two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Williams ready to pitch from the bullpen. Then everything went wrong very quickly.
Williams, who had only given up three runs all year, allowed four runs in the ninth inning during a 4-2 loss that ended the Brewers’ season. Pete Alonso’s three-run homer off the All-Star closer put the Mets in the lead for good.
“We worked all year to get to this point,” Williams said. “They got me a two-run lead there in the ninth. That’s how we draw it up. And I couldn’t come through for the boys. No one feels worse than I do.”
Just a night earlier, Williams had retired the side in order to secure a 5-3 victory in Game 2, but it was clear he wasn’t at his best this time.
He walked Francisco Lindor on a full-count pitch to start the ninth. After striking out Mark Vientos, Williams allowed a single to Brandon Nimmo on an 0-2 changeup, which put runners at the corners.
“He’s one of the best relievers in the game,” Nimmo said. “He has an unbelievable changeup and great fastball, and he locates well. Honestly, you’re trying to be short and you’re trying to find the barrel however you can.”
Then Alonso came up to bat.
Williams fell behind 3-1 in the count, and Alonso hit a changeup over the right-field wall, giving the Mets a one-run lead.
“It could have been better, but it wasn’t the worst pitch I’ve ever thrown,” Williams said. “I wanted to go away with it, and I got it there, but it was a good piece of hitting.”
Williams stayed in the game but continued to have problems and couldn’t stop the Mets from adding another run. With two outs, Jesse Winker was hit by a pitch, stole second base, and scored on Starling Marte’s single.
At that point, the Brewers finally took Williams out and brought in Joe Ross to get the last out of the ninth.
“I’m not going to make any excuses,” Williams said. “I didn’t get the job done when I needed to. They executed well, and I didn’t.”
Williams’ unusual struggles marked a disappointing end to what had been a successful season for him.
After spending the first four months recovering from stress fractures in his back, Williams returned near the end of July and was as dominant as ever.
“He goes out there every day, ready to shut the door,” shortstop Willy Adames said. “Today was not the day for him. Unfortunately, today, he couldn’t execute, but that’s baseball. You can’t execute every day.
Some days, it’s not going to be the best, and unfortunately it was today. But he’s one of the best, if not the best, in the game and I’ll go with him every day.”
Williams had a 1.25 ERA during the regular season, striking out 38 batters in 21 2/3 innings and converting 14 saves in 15 chances. He had allowed only one homer all year, to Atlanta’s Jarred Kelenic on Aug. 7. Including that Game 2 save, Williams had not given up a run in his last 14 appearances.
That’s what made this ninth-inning failure so surprising. “I told him, out of this disappointment, out of this situation, you will grow,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “You will rise again, and something good will come out of it somehow.”
