Devin Williams was on the mound with a streak of nine straight scoreless outings under his belt, and yet when that wind-blown shallow fly ball fell in for a double leading off the ninth inning on Thursday in Washington, D.C, I’m quite sure most Mets fans were thinking the worst.
How could you not, to be honest?
It has been that kind of season for the Mets, and, well, Williams has a reputation, between his work in the Bronx last season and a rough start in Queens this year, for shrinking in the biggest moments as a closer.
Going all the way back to giving up the famous Pete Alonso home run for the Brewers, actually.
So I don’t blame you if you’re not fully buying into the new-and-improved Devin Williams just yet. Or is it the old reliable Devin Williams, going back to his pre-Alonso Milwaukee days?
But to be fair, the guy has been as lockdown as a closer can be for nearly a month now, covering his last 10 appearances, including Thursday’s 2-1 win over the Nationals.
This one was especially impressive as Williams didn’t flinch on Thursday, despite the misplay by A.J. Ewing in center that turned Daylen Lile’s wind-blown fly ball into a leadoff double. Indeed, after a ground ball pushed the tying run on third base with one out, Williams fell behind 3-1 to Jose Tena, yet struck him out by getting swings on two nasty changeups.
A routine groundout finished off the save, and suddenly, you can make a case that the air-bender is again worthy of the fancy nickname by which Williams’ changeup has been known for years.
Certainly, he is carrying himself with the old confidence born from that pitch, a confidence that was evident after the save Thursday -- and quite a contrast to his subdued interviews from blown saves past.
For example, he was asked by SNY’s Steve Gelbs how he pulled off the escape, especially after falling behind in the count to Tena.
“Never giving in,” Williams said with a smile. “I know that guy wanted to hit a fastball there. I didn’t give it to him. I was pitching to the score of the game. The tying run was on third. Gotta keep him there.”
Only a couple of years ago, he was as good as anybody in the game in situations like that, which is why David Stearns thought it was worth a three-year, $51 million gamble to sign him last winter, believing he could be that guy again.
And at least right now, it is looking like one decision for which Stearns doesn’t have to do any re-examining, unlike so many others in this so-far disaster of a season.
For in those last 10 appearances, Williams has thrown 9.2 scoreless innings while holding opponents to a .069 batting average, with five walks and 12 strikeouts.
It’s a relatively small sample, to be sure, but there’s another component to his recent success that could add weight to the results.
That is, those results coincide with Williams’ decision to go back to his old delivery. Actually, his old way of coming set before his delivery, with his glove in front of his chest.
After the Alonso home run, which caused much video-inspired speculation that Williams was tipping his pitches that night, and his problems in the Bronx last season, he had changed his set position to try and protect against tipping, lowering his glove to a belt-high position.
It's something, he believes, that messed with his mechanics as well as his mindset.
“The way I’m starting with my hands now, it’s more comfortable for me,” Williams told reporters Thursday. “It’s back to what I used to do.”
He admitted he had changed it because of all the tipping-pitches speculation, but with a 10.29 ERA in late April, he decided to go back to his old way. So how will he guard against tipping now?
“Being conscious of it,” he said simply.
If Williams returning to form turns out to be more than just some type of streak, it obviously would be crucial for the Mets, who are trying to save their season. As it is, they are slowly moving closer to .500, playing better baseball for the last few weeks.
Yet a return to contention still feels like a major leap of faith. The Nationals aren’t pushovers -- they lead the majors in runs scored, and still it feels like the Mets should have won 3 of 4 against them, if Nolan McLean hadn’t imploded with a 5-0 lead in the second game of the series.
The offense is showing signs of life, yet the Mets still have days like Thursday when they went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and couldn’t add on a crucial insurance run or two in the ninth inning after loading the bases with no outs.
But there are good signs as well. The emergence of Carson Benge and the call-up of Ewing have provided a spark, and now Juan Soto is hot while Bo Bichette, who delivered the only runs on Thursday with a two-run single, seems to finally be coming around as well.
Meanwhile, the impact of the Clay Holmes injury is already being felt, but at least David Peterson has been solid enough of late, including Thursday, to offer evidence that he can be a capable starter.
Then there is the bullpen, which has been mostly excellent lately, including Thursday, as Huascar Brazoban, Brooks Raley, and Luke Weaver each pitched a hitless inning to get it to Williams. And Austin Warren has been the surprise piece that teams need.
Add it all up and there are rays of optimism in the Mets winning seven of their last 10 games. It may not be a reason to buy into a turnaround, but it’s not nothing.
Same for Williams. If the air-bender is truly a thing again, it’s hard to know how much it will matter in August or September. But for now, it’s something.
