Devin Williams saves first game with New York Yankees by a whisker

NEW YORK (AP) — Devin Williams saved his first game with the New York Yankees by a whisker.

Acquired from Milwaukee in December, the bearded All-Star closer drew his first boos from Yankees fans just 18 pitches into his career in pinstripes.

“I heard ‘em. I heard ’em,” he said.

After loading the bases with no outs against his former team and allowing Brice Turang’s sacrifice fly, Williams struck out Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich to preserve a 4-2 opening day win over the Brewers on Thursday that turned tense in the ninth inning.

“Love that he didn’t break,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He just kept making pitches.”

New York traded for the 30-year-old right-hander in December, agreeing to send popular left-hander Nestor Cortes to the Brewers along with infield prospect Caleb Durbin and $2 million.

Knowing that Williams was unhappy appearing clean-shaven and could become a free agent after this season. the Yankees last month ended their ban on beards imposed by owner George Steinbrenner in 1976. Williams had advocated for the change.

Williams was drafted by the Brewers in 2013, made his big league debut with them six years later and had never pitched for another team before this year.

“When we did the opening ceremony,” he recalled after the game, “looking across and seeing all the faces that I’m familiar with being on the other side it was kind of weird for me.”

It was well past time for 5 o’clock shadows when Williams took the mound shortly after 6 p.m. with a 4-1 lead.

Joey Ortiz singled leading off and Isaac Collins doubled on a hop to the center-field wall on a changeup, Williams’ so-called Airbender.

Pinch-hitter Jake Bauers walked on seven pitches, five of them Airbenders, and Williams fell behind 3-1 in the count to Turang as boos broke out before the reliever got a pair of foul balls and the sacrifice fly.

“Obviously, there’s a little bit of different expectations, more eyes on you here, but none of that is going through my mind when I’m on the mound,” Williams said.

Pitching coach Matt Blake and catcher Austin Wells went to the mound.

“Keep being you and filling it up,” Wells recalled telling Williams. “He’s done it for a while now. So he’s calm, cool and collected.”

Bauers stole second and Chourio swung over a changeup on the eighth pitch of his at-bat for his fifth strikeout of the game, two more than his previous high.

With Fernando Cruz warming up in the Yankees bullpen, Yelich came to the plate.

“I’m very laid back, low key,” Williams said. “There’s really no other option. It’s either I get this guy out or we lose a game.”

Williams tied up Yelich, the 2018 NL MVP, with a full-count inside fastball for another strikeout that ended a 36-pitch outing, his longest since May 2022. The 95.1 mph pitch was Williams’ fastest of the day.

“He’s a great closer and we made it tough on him,” Yelich said. “He made a pitch again.”

Having been given the Yankees championship belt as player of the game, Williams seemed, well, relieved.

“I didn’t think my command was the best today,” he said, “but they also laid off some really good pitches at times. I think they had a really good plan against me. There’s no one that knows me better than that team over there, so they really made me work for this one.”

Photo: New York Yankees pitcher Devin Williams reacts during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)