ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Devin Williams' first two months with the New York Yankees have been a roller coaster ride, and his first save in nearly six weeks was full of even more thrills and chills.
Williams gave up two runs and three hits in the ninth inning Tuesday night, but the former All-Star closer persevered and finished the Yankees' 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
After retiring pinch-hitter Logan O'Hoppe on a foul popup with a runner on first to end it, Williams chose to see the cleaner side of another messy evening.
“I mean, at the end of the day, we won,” Williams said. “That’s all that matters.”
The Yankees acquired Williams from Milwaukee last winter to be a major component of their bullpen, but he’s still adjusting to the bright lights of Broadway. Williams had a handful of rocky outings in his first month, culminating on April 25 when he blew a save by giving up three runs in the ninth to Toronto at Yankee Stadium, his ERA ballooning to 11.25.
Williams lost his job as the Yankees' closer after that, but he has found his form over the past three weeks, making eight consecutive scoreless appearances and allowing just three hits.
That gave manager Aaron Boone enough confidence to go to Williams at the Big A for his first save opportunity since late April — particularly because Luke Weaver had pitched in five of the previous seven games.
It didn’t seem like a high-leverage spot, either: The Yankees had a 3-0 lead, and the Angels hadn’t scored in 16 consecutive innings.
Williams repeatedly was one pitch away from another disaster in Anaheim, but Boone claimed to be satisfied by the result.
“Not worried about it,” Boone said. “In the end, you bend, don't break. There's a lot that you take away from that outing. But the reality is he's throwing the ball really well. They put a couple of good swings on him tonight, but that's part of it.”
Williams immediately gave up a leadoff homer to Yoán Moncada on a changeup that caught too much of the plate. Taylor Ward singled, Travis d'Arnaud hit a screaming 104.9-mph flyout to center, and Luis Rengifo singled to put runners on the corners with one out.
But Williams came through to earn his fifth save of the season.
After Ward scored when Jo Adell grounded into a forceout, Williams fell behind 3-0 to O’Hoppe. The promising catcher unexpectedly swung at a high fastball out of the strike zone and popped it into foul territory near the Angels’ dugout.
“I didn’t think he’d be swinging there, to be honest,” Williams said. “Kind of did me a favor.”
Williams is new to New York, but he knows all about the perils of his chosen profession. He ended his Brewers career by blowing a two-run lead in the ninth inning of the decisive Game 3 in the NL wild-card series against the Mets — and then he was booed in the Bronx just 18 pitches into his Yankees career when he nearly blew a win on opening day.
“You just keep going,” Williams said. “The game isn’t over. We didn’t lose yet. It’s pretty simple.”
Williams' ninth inning was a dramatic finish to an outstanding night for Carlos Rodón, who pitched seven scoreless innings of five-hit ball with 10 strikeouts and no walks. The Yankees issued no walks for the first time this season.
Williams' struggles are a minor inconvenience in another strong start for the defending AL champions. New York (34-20) has won four straight and 15 of 19 with seven consecutive series victories, surging to a seven-game lead in the AL East in May for the first time since 1998.
“That’s a heck of a job by Devin to hang in,” Rodón said. “They made some good swings, and the ninth is a different animal. It’s really hard to get the last three outs of the game. I thought he hung in. I thought he did great and still shut (them) down and got the save.”
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New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, right, congratulates relief pitcher Devin Williams after the last out against the Los Angeles Angels, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
New York Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt, right, congratulates relief pitcher Devin Williams, left, and catcher Austin Wells after defeating the Los Angeles Angels, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers could have outside linebacker T.J. Watt back for their “win or go home” showdown with Baltimore for the AFC North title on Sunday night.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he's “more optimistic” than he has been that the perennial Pro Bowl edge rusher will be available after sitting out each of the past three games while recovering from surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung sustained following a dry needling treatment.
Tomlin added he'd like to see Watt practice fully at some point this week. Watt was a limited participant last week before being held out of Sunday's 13-6 loss to Cleveland, a setback that cost the Steelers (9-7) a chance to wrap up the division with a week to go.
Now, Pittsburgh either needs to win or tie the Ravens (8-8) on Sunday night to win the AFC North for the first time since 2020.
Tomlin doesn't think Watt's extended downtime will have a significant impact on the 31-year-old Watt's stamina, should he be cleared to play.
“I doubt that TJ is ever out of football shape or conditioning over the course of a 12-month calendar,” Tomlin said. “I just know how he lives his life and how he prepares and how thoughtful he is in terms of what he puts in his body and how we trains.”
While Watt's familiar No. 90 could return, massive tight end Darnell Washington is out indefinitely after having surgery on Monday for a broken arm suffered in the first half against the Browns. Tomlin did not rule out Washington's potential availability should Pittsburgh advance to the playoffs, though the Steelers would likely need to make a deep run to have any chance of seeing the uniquely talented 6-foot-7, 300-plus-pound Washington in the huddle.
Wide receiver Calvin Austin III (hamstring), veteran left guard Isaac Seumalo (triceps), cornerback Brandon Echols (groin) and cornerback James Pierre (calf) — all of whom sat out last week — could return against the Ravens.
The Steelers will need as many healthy bodies available as possible, particularly on offense, to avoid a stunning late collapse. Pittsburgh sputtered in Cleveland without suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf, who will also sit out this week as punishment for making contact with a fan in Detroit earlier this month.
Pittsburgh managed just 160 net yards passing against the Browns, a big chunk of it coming on a last-second drive that ended with Aaron Rodgers throwing incomplete in the end zone to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on three consecutive plays.
Rodgers had perhaps his best game of the season in Pittsburgh's road win at Baltimore on Dec. 7, thanks in large part to a seven-catch, 148-yard performance from Metcalf. Downfield shots were nowhere to be found on a blustery day in Cleveland, where Rodgers' longest completion was a 29-yarder to tight end Pat Freiermuth.
While Tomlin allowed both teams will add a “wrinkle” or two in the rematch, the reality is scheme is unlikely to play a significant role in a series that has produced its fair share of memorable high-stakes meetings through the years.
The stakes should keep the Steelers from having a hangover after letting the lowly Browns jump to an early 10-point lead before holding on.
Asked if it was frustrating to lose to a team that came in with just three wins on the season with so much on the line, Tomlin shrugged.
“Man, there’s a lot of things that you could get frustrated about in our business,” he said. “I’ve learned to kind of always move forward. My windshield is much bigger than my rearview.”
Maybe, but there's a chance the game could also be the 264th and final regular-season game of quarterback Aaron Rodgers' Hall of Fame-caliber career. The 42-year-old four-time MVP said over the summer that his 21st season could be his last, though he also said last week he feels as if he's aging backward and has been relatively healthy save for a broken left wrist that forced him to sit out a loss to Chicago in late November.
Rodgers said on Sunday that he expects Pittsburgh to recover and beat the Ravens. That inherent confidence is one of the reasons the Steelers spent months courting him in free agency last spring.
“That’s one of the things that made him really attractive to us, that ‘can do’ attitude and the experience and resume that goes with it,” Tomlin said. “I don’t think it’s work for him. I think it is as natural as breathing. And so if he’s breathing, I expect to see that from him as we lean in on this game."
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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
