
Devin Williams Shuts The Door On Miami
Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin “Airbender” Williams recorded his 34th save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins.
Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin “Airbender” Williams recorded his 34th save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins.
After a blown save on June 13, Devin Williams has been lights-out on the mound for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Since then, he has recorded four saves and picked up a win as well in five appearances.
The 2020 National League Rookie of the Year and Relief Pitcher of the Year has shown why he’s one of the best relief pitchers in the game today.
And he’s continuously been effective out there on the mound ever since joining the Brewers.
On the season, he has a 4-1 record with a 1.69 ERA with 14 saves and 35 strikeouts through 27 games.
The Brewers are getting more and more comfortable utilizing Williams in that closer role. Last season he had a total of 15 saves, and this year he will certainly surpass that number.
This season, Milwaukee finds themselves in a tight race in the NL Central Division and having a pitcher like Williams who can close out games is a win for the Brewers.
Williams has been a headache for hitters at the plate his entire career and he seems to get better and better over time.
MLBbro Devin Williams ‘AKA’ Airbender Will Be In LA For His First All-Star Game | As He Should
He has an opportunity to be named an all-star for the second straight season.
The 28-year-old is already doing impressive things out there and three to four years from now, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him still dominating.
Milwaukee definitely made the right decision in selecting him in the second round of the 2013 draft.
This year marks a decade since the Brewers drafted Williams. Time really does fly by. He had his sights on being a first-round pick, but that was not the case.
“We sat there for, like, five hours and waited,” Williams said in an mlb.com article. “It was all my friends and family. I was told I would be going in the first round, and then it was damn near the end of the second round when I finally went.”
It’s definitely been a rollercoaster ride for Williams, who dealt with Tommy John Surgery in 2017 and facing some adversity once returning to the mound the next year.
But Williams did not give up, he battled through the struggles and ended up making the All-Star Futures Game and was called up to the big leagues in 2019. The rest is history.
Williams was not expecting to be drafted by the Brewers back in 2013.
“That was the last team I thought was going to take me,” he said. “I do remember [Brewers scout] Harvey Kuenn Jr. coming to the house to meet with me and my mom. And after the Draft, he told me that [then-scouting director] Bruce Seid and [longtime Brewers executive] Gord Ash had come to watch me pitch in our district final. I guess that was the game that they decided they were going to try and take me.”
Fast forward to 2023 and Williams has become one of the Brewers’ top relief pitchers and one of the game’s best.
It’s going to be an exciting finish to the NL Central race and expect Milwaukee to rely on Williams to continue to finish out those close games.
Devin Williams is a dedicated relief pitcher, and he is also an advocate for a clean environment. The “Airbender” works with two different organizations. Players for the Planet and One Tree Planted.
The Milwaukee Brewers MLBbro recognizes the impact of environmental racism and the work that must be down. He also has an impact on the 1500 youth baseball players that help with these cleanup efforts. The first beaches that they will clean up are in the Dominican Republic when health codes allow. Devin is proud of the work that he does.
Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers already has collected a trove of historical statistics and accomplishments that makes the 28-year-old MLBbro one of the most dominant relief pitchers in history. He also appreciates a mean shoe game, as Rob Parker found out at the 2022 All-Star game in Colorado.
In 2020, he was named the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year. Here’s where things get very interesting.
Just check out the history attached to this achievement…
Williams also won the 2020 NL Reliever of the Year Award after his teammate Josh Hader had won it the previous two seasons.
It’s one thing to be a part of history and it’s another to understand the importance of being part of history. In 1984, Gooden and Davis swept the honors THREE YEARS before the award was renamed in Jackie Robinson’s honor. He spoke out at the time on the subject via MLB.com.
“I feel like you need someone who looks like you to show you it’s possible,” Williams said. “Growing up, I had guys like Derek Jeter and other biracial and Black players who just kind of opened the door to that possibility for me. When you don’t see anyone who looks like you, it doesn’t feel like it’s attainable, in a way.”
Williams was the only MLBbro pitcher at the 2022 MLB All-Star Game.
After a rocky 2021 season filled with inconsistencies and a broken hand that kept him out of the postseason, here’s where the story begins.
When our MLBbro further developed his unique “airbender” changeup that made everyone forget the valleys of the previous season, Williams quietly transitioned himself from the best set-up man in baseball to one of the best closers. The Milwaukee Brewers must have seen some long-term potential when they shocked the baseball world and it’s players by trading ace closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline. At the time, Hader led the MLB with 29 saves.
Even Williams himself was surprised by the deal. But the Brewers front office sees that Williams is ready to be the man to close games out for this franchise.
Just look at the numbers between Hader and Williams at the time of the big trade…
Hader: 29 saves in 31 attempts with an ERA of 4.24 and a WHIP of 1.12.
Williams: In 39.2 innings of setup work, our MLBbro had an ERA of 1.59 and 66 strikeouts.
Coupled with the 0.33 ERA during his award collecting 2020 campaign, it shows the Brewers’ decision was a no brainer. Taylor Rogers, Dinelson Lamet and Robert Gasser will compete for Devin’s set-up position in the bullpen.
The most unique pitch that will be introduced to the game since the split-fingered fastball in the 1980’s by Bruce Sutter. Williams has a changeup that is so fascinating that it has its own name. Pitching guru, Rob Friedman calls his changeup “The Airbender”. Just like with his awards, he understands the significance of what’s going on around him.
With this physics-defying pitch and more opportunity for saves to boost his resume, our MLBbro is well on his way to being a Cy Young contender if he can stay healthy and available.
Though Devin Williams may only throw one to two innings during a game, he makes sure to leave it all on the field during that time. And opposing teams have had difficulty at the plate when Williams is on the mound.
The Milwaukee Brewers are fighting each day for a spot in the postseason and Williams will continue to play a key factor in the Brewers’ quest to play deep into October.
With 16 games left Milwaukee is two games out of the final NL Wild Card slot. They are 7-3 over their last 10 games. Only the LA Dodgers have a better record over
Williams put together two impressive performances against the New York Yankees this past Friday and Saturday. The Brewers were able to win the series, which they needed to do and Williams made sure to contribute in a big way.
He’s been a man on a mission since his All-Star weekend festivities and has taken over the closer role vacated by the Josh Hader trade.
On Friday, September 16th, he threw one inning, striking out two as the Brewers won 7-6. The next day, he was perfect as he struck out two and picked up his 13th save of the season.
It seems as if Williams continues to get better each season. He’s only been in the league for four seasons and his future is bright.
This month, Williams has made the most of his opportunities late in games. He’s made six appearances and has picked up a win and four saves during that stretch.
Let’s not forget that he’s only allowed one run. In fact, he’s only surrendered 11 runs 56.1 innings pitched. When you mention K -Kings out of the pen, Williams has 86 strikeouts.
He’s firing on all cylinders at the right time. Helping the Brewers advance to the playoffs would be a redemption song for Williams. Last season, he took himself out of the playoffs by punching a wall.
Devin Williams Eliminated Himself From Postseason Play After Punching A Wall
He definitely doesn’t want to put himself in a position like that again.
Williams knows that his team can make it to the postseason. His teammates cannot take these games for granted. It’s do-or-die for the Brewers right now and Williams is going to be that leader on the field and in the clubhouse and do whatever it takes to help his team get to the postseason.
The 27-year-old is setting himself up to have a successful career and be one of the MLBbros that we talk about for years to come. Let’s see how much of an impact he makes during these last few weeks of the season.
We’re rooting for you bro!
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