MILWAUKEE (AP) — Perhaps the biggest addition for any contender around the MLB trade deadline came when the Milwaukee Brewers welcomed back their own star closer from the injured list. Devin Williams made his 2024 debut on July 28 — two days before the trade deadline — after missing four months while recovering from stress fractures in his back. He already is providing the NL Central-leading Brewers as much of a lift as any of the players acquired in trades by other teams over the last month.
Williams retired the side in order in the ninth inning each of the last two days to help the Brewers earn a four-game split with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a matchup of division leaders. "It's awesome to hand the ball to someone like that, who can you put all your trust in,” Brewers pitcher Tobias Myers said. The Brewers trusted Williams to silence multiple MVPs on back-to-back days.
The two-time NL reliever of the year responded both times. Williams retired Andy Pages on a pop fly and struck out Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani to end Milwaukee’s 6-4 victory on Thursday afternoon. That came about 18 hours after he retired Ohtani, Betts and Freddie Freeman on just seven pitches to save a 5-4 triumph on Wednesday night.
“It doesn’t matter who’s up there,” Williams said. “My job is to finish the game. That’s all I’m worried about, getting three outs before they were to tie the game.
That’s the only thing that matters. It doesn’t matter who the hitter is.” That a.