"For years, teammates have asked Devin Williams to teach them his changeup, a pitch so unusual and dominant it has its own nickname. Williams always helps. They just never get 'The Airbender' right."
"Powered by The Airbender, Williams has established himself as one of the premier relievers in baseball since breaking into the majors in 2019. He has been so good that the Milwaukee Brewers traded Williams to the New York Yankees last month for left-hander Nestor Cortes and prospect Caleb Durbin before he inevitably would become too expensive in free agency next winter."
"Those are big shoes to fill," Williams said of Rivera, whose signature cutter helped him become the first player voted unanimously to the Hall of Fame. "I feel he kind of ruined it for everybody else. I mean, after him, it's hard to live up to those expectations. But at the end of the day, I can only be me."
"Being himself has been more than good enough for the 30-year-old Williams. The right-hander won the 2020 National League Rookie of the Year Award with a 0.33 ERA in 22 games. He was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023."
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