A roaring Yankee Stadium crowd rose in unison as Devin Williams approached the dugout.
Williams had just made his first four-out appearance of the year, securing a three-run advantage against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the ALDS, as the Yankees brought in closer David Bednar with one out in the eighth inning.
The ovation did not go unnoticed.
“It’s nice to feel appreciated sometimes,” Williams remarked following the Yankees’ 9-6 win on Tuesday night. “It was definitely a lot better than what I’ve heard for much of the year.”
Williams indeed faced a challenging debut season with the Yankees, who had acquired the two-time National League Reliever of the Year last winter in a trade that sent starter Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin to the Milwaukee Brewers.
At 31, Williams pitched to a career-high 4.79 ERA during the regular season and was twice relieved from the Yankees’ closer role, including in August when Bednar took over.
However, Williams wrapped up the season with nine consecutive scoreless performances, carrying that streak of redemption into the playoffs. Game 3 marked his third consecutive scoreless outing of the postseason, totaling 12 in a row overall.
“My mindset’s never changed throughout this whole year,” Williams said. “I just kept showing up, and I’m getting the results I want right now.”
His Game 3 performance was particularly critical.
With the Yankees on the brink of elimination, starter Carlos Rodón lasted only 2.1 innings and surrendered six runs.
Five relievers — Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval, Tim Hill, Williams, and Bednar — managed to pitch 6.2 scoreless innings, facilitating the Yankees’ offense in overcoming a five-run shortfall.
Williams navigated the heart of the Blue Jays’ order — Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho — in a 1-2-3 seventh, then allowed a single to Ernie Clement to lead off the eighth before striking out Anthony Santander.
“This is the time when you’re going to need [extra length] every now and then,” manager Aaron Boone said of Williams. “He was efficient in his inning in the seventh there, so I knew for sure I wanted him to go out and face Clement.
“And then if he was efficient, [catcher Austin Wells] and I talked about giving him Santander, too. And the fact that Clement gets another hit, but he’s able to make a couple of really good pitches to get the strikeout of Santander, which was big. That shortened it a little bit for Bednar.”
Williams threw 26 pitches to get four outs, while Bednar needed only 21 to get the final five.
“Light’s out,” Bednar said of Williams. “It’s been fun to watch.”
Williams posted an ERA of 2.50 or lower in each of the previous five seasons, but the small-market Brewers traded him last offseason because he was entering his final year of team control.
The right-hander tied his career high with four blown saves (in 22 chances) this season, while his six losses set a career high.
But Williams ended the regular season with six consecutive holds, then earned the win in the Yankees’ 4-3 victory in Game 2 of the Wild Card round against the Boston Red Sox last week.
Tuesday’s 1.1-inning outing marked Williams’ first time recording more than three outs in a game since 2023.
“Devin’s great,” Hill said. “I always knew that, even through his struggles. This game’s hard, but I knew that Devin was the man, and he’s been amazing.”
