New York Yankees Fans Boo All-Star Closer Devin Williams in Team Debut

Devin Williams worked his way out of a jam to record an Opening Day save against his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers, but New York Yankees fans weren't satisfied midway through his outing.

Clearwater, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Devin Williams (38) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the fourth inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Devin Williams gave New York Yankees fans a bit of a scare on Thursday, apparently failing to make a great first impression in the Bronx.

The right-handed reliever got the ball in the top of the ninth inning with the Yankees holding a 4-1 lead over his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers, on Opening Day. Williams immediately gave up a single, double and walk to load the bases before recording a single out.

That's when Yankees fans started to boo their new closer, as noted by Newsday's Laura Albanese on social media.

About six minutes into his official Yankee career, Devin Williams is getting booed. Bases loaded, no outs.

— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) March 27, 2025

Williams got things under control shortly after, although he did allow a run on a sacrifice fly. He notched back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the jam, recording the save and securing the win in the process.

The Yankees traded starting pitcher Nestor Cortés, infield prospect Caleb Durbin and cash considerations for Williams back in December. He was coming off eight dominant seasons out of the Brewers' bullpen, going 27-10 with a 1.83 ERA, 1.023 WHIP, 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings, 68 saves, an 8.9 WAR and two All-Star appearances.

Williams will probably have to look more like his Milwaukee self in order to win over New York fans moving forward, even if the Yankees remain at the top of the AL East.

The season-opening series between the Yankees and Brewers is set to continue at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Related MLB Stories

• GORE RACKS UP PUNCHOUTS: MacKenzie Gore struck out 13 Phillies in 6.0 innings of work on Opening Day, placing the Nationals ace alone atop the MLB record books. CLICK HERE

• MLB.TV GOES DOWN: On Opening Day of all days, fans were unable to log into MLB.TV to watch 28 of the 30 teams play their first games of the 2025 regular season. CLICK HERE

• WELLS BLASTS HISTORIC HR: Austin Wells, who became the first catcher ever to bat leadoff for the Yankees on Thursday, made additional history by hitting a solo homer in his first at-bat of 2025. CLICK HERE

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