One of the biggest boosts for any team around the MLB trade deadline was when the Milwaukee Brewers got their star closer back from the injured list.
Devin Williams made his 2024 debut on July 28, just two days before the trade deadline, after missing four months due to stress fractures in his back. He is already giving the NL Central-leading Brewers a big boost, similar to the impact of players other teams acquired in trades over the past month.
Williams retired all three batters in the ninth inning on both of the last two days, helping the Brewers earn a split of their four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are also division leaders.
Brewers pitcher Tobias Myers said, “It’s awesome to hand the ball to someone like that, who can you put all your trust in.”
The Brewers relied on Williams to handle several MVPs on consecutive days, and the two-time NL reliever of the year delivered both times.
On Thursday afternoon, Williams retired Andy Pages on a pop fly and struck out Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani to secure Milwaukee’s 6-4 win. This was about 18 hours after he retired Ohtani, Betts, and Freddie Freeman on just seven pitches to save a 5-4 win on Wednesday night.
Williams said, “It doesn’t matter who’s up there. My job is to finish the game. That’s all I’m worried about, getting three outs before they were to tie the game. That’s the only thing that matters. It doesn’t matter who the hitter is.”
This mindset has helped make Williams one of the best relievers in the game when he’s healthy. His effective changeup, known as The Airbender, is also a big part of his success.
Unfortunately for the Brewers, Williams wasn’t healthy at the start of this season. Williams wasn’t worried about being rusty when he returned, saying he had done this job well for so long that “it’s like riding a bike.”
Williams has shown that he is back to form since his return.
