US EditionHow Devin Williams’ shaky Yankees debut affected Aaron Judge
- On Thursday, March 27, 2025, Devin Williams, the Yankees' new closer, made his debut in the Bronx against his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers, securing a 4-2 Opening Day win but not without a tense ninth inning.
- Acquired from Milwaukee in December for Nestor Cortes, Caleb Durbin, and $2 million, the 30-year-old right-hander's debut was highly anticipated, especially given the Yankees recently ended their beard ban imposed in 1976 by George Steinbrenner, allowing Williams to pitch with a full beard.
- Williams loaded the bases with no outs and threw 36 pitches in the ninth, his longest outing since May 2022, allowing one run but ultimately striking out Jackson Chourio and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich to end the game.
- Despite the shaky outing, Williams earned the Yankees' WWE-style championship belt as player of the game, with manager Aaron Boone noting he "loved that he didn't break," and Williams himself stating, "You can't go back in time, so the only option is to move forward."
- Acknowledging the different expectations and increased scrutiny in New York, Williams, who spent his first six seasons with the Brewers after being drafted in 2013, expressed that facing his former team was "kind of weird," but ultimately secured his first save in pinstripes, demonstrating his ability to perform under pressure.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Devin Williams survives ‘weird,’ rocky Yankees debut against old team
The Brewers made Devin Williams bend, but he didn’t break on Opening Day. The Yankees’ new closer didn’t enjoy the smoothest debut, allowing an earned run over 36 pitches in the ninth inning on Thursday. However, the right-hander managed to shut the door on a 4-2 win over his former team in the Bronx. “I didn’t think my command was the best today, to be honest with you, but they also laid off some really good pitches at times,” Williams said aft…
How Devin Williams’ shaky Yankees debut affected Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge didn’t have flashbacks to Clay Holmes blowing all those games last year standing out in right field at Yankee Stadium on Thursday watching new Yankees closer Devin Williams add a whole lot of ninth-inning drama into a 4-2 Opening Day win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
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