When the New York Yankees acquired star closer Devin Williams, the decision was met with unbridled joy by Yankee fans everywhere. In retrospect, it was a move that would have been ideal years ago. The Yanks had long lacked an ultra-reliable uber-talented reliever to turn to in close games. With Williams in their bullpen, this was no longer a concern.
As his debut drew nearer, Yankee fans were brimming with excitement, waiting to get their first glimpse of the Airbender in the Bronx. Unfortunately, Williams’ performance thus far has left fans holding their breath and covering their eyes. He has pitched just three innings in four games and maintains a ghastly ERA of 12.00. His opponent batting average sits at a whopping .385 and he has allowed four walks in that time.
With stats such as these, Yankee fans can be rightfully worried whenever Williams takes the mound. But before we write Williams off as yet another Yankee trade failure, let’s take a deeper dive into his stats. What we’re looking for here is a seasonal outlier that Milwaukee Brewers’ fans are already well-accustomed to.
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Devin Williams typically performs poorly to start the year
After a bit of research, we find is that Williams is notoriously bad through his first outings in March and April. His career ERA over those months stands at 3.86. These numbers include an April stint that was flawless for Williams in 2023. But besides the monthly splits, Williams has indicated that his execution just isn’t there yet.
Devin Williams said, "I haven't felt like 100% myself up to this point," but he said he's fine physically.
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) April 9, 2025
Attributed struggles to needing game reps & lack of execution. He added he's struggled in the early parts of the season before.
The #Yankees' closer entered the day with a…
As of yet, it seems Williams’ changeup is not bending air properly and could use a little more fine tuning. But as in past instances, it appears Williams has always been able to figure it out.
Should Yankees’ fans still be alarmed? It wouldn’t be an unreasonable reaction in light of Williams’ performance, but it should be comforting to know there is light at the end of the tunnel. Now, all we need to focus on is his performance in the postseason.