I got together with Devin Williams yesterday and we talked about the start of the season and playing in New York and his eyes told the whole story.
He has come to New York all throughout his career as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers and ironically his very first game to start the 2025 season as a Yankee in New York is against those very same Brewers.
I have been friendly with his former manager Pat Murphy for several years and he has always raved about Devin the person and Devin the pitcher. I can tell that Murphy is going to miss both. I have to say that his loss will definitely be the Yankees and New York’s gain. The Yankees have had a long history of great closers during the Steinbrenner era.
It started with the great Sparky Lyle who won the Cy Young Award in 1977. That was the year that the Yankees won their first World Championship under George Steinbrenner. That was followed up by Hall of Fame closer Goose Gossage who closed the deciding game against the Dodgers in the 1978 classic. That was followed by Dave Righetti who ironically pitched the first no-hitter since Don Larson but the following season became the closer in the bullpen when the Yankees lost The Goose to free agency. Naturally, the next great reliever was the man considered the greatest of all time…. Mariano Rivera or affectionately known to his teammates and fans as MO !
Now when we get to the ninth inning we will see the Yankee’s new prize closer Devin Williams running out of the bullpen anxiously ready to mow down opposing hitters during these crucial save situations. The bridge from Sparky Lyle to Mo has been a historically great one. It’s been a road with hardly any tolls. Now the Devin Williams era begins and if I was a betting man I would have to say that it’s going to be a fun and exciting one. I’d have to definitely listen to the handicapper… in this case, it being his former manager Pat Murphy who knows him better than most.
