NL WILD CARD SERIES: METS VS BREWERS

October 1, 2024

Devin Williams

American Family Field

Milwaukee Brewers

Pregame Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the first press conference of the Wild Card round.

We'll take questions for Devin Williams.

Q. For the first four months while you were sitting on the bench waiting to come back in, what was the vibe or the feel that you got from watching this team? What did you take away from their play?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: I think the main thing was that they just showed up ready every day. As Murph has preached all year long, win tonight, and I think the team really took that and ran with it.

Q. Devin, because you didn't -- where are you physically, having rehabbed for the first four months, versus where you might be if you had to pitch for the full six months? In other words, are you in a fresher place going into this postseason than you might be had you put all that wear and tear on?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: Yeah, I would say I'm probably in a better spot, having not had a full season's worth of work. So, yeah, I'm in a great spot. I'm feeling good physically, mentally, all that.

Q. You were out for half a season, and this bullpen had a lot of new faces on it. I think it's the second ranked bullpen E.R.A. in the Majors. What was the key to this bullpen's success? Why do you think you all were as effective as you've been?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: I think that guys looked forward to stepping up and having bigger roles. Nobody shied away from it. We've had guys like Hudson and Koenig and a number of other guys that have just come out of nowhere and given us a lot of value, given us a lot of big outs this year.

Going with the win tonight, I think everyone's just embraced it. It's like today it's my turn to step up and help the team.

Q. Devin, you of course were drafted by the organization, but every year -- you know, just by the nature of it, there's a lot of turnover with the bullpen, just new faces every year, and the Brewers have really developed a reputation for helping guys improve when they come to this team.

When you think back, just watching guys every year when they come into spring training from other teams, can you actually see that process of guys sort of finding something out about themselves when they get here?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: I wouldn't say we'd necessarily do anything differently. I think our coaching staff does a good job of giving people confidence and trusting in their stuff and like teaching them ways to attack hitters better than they were doing previously.

Yeah, really not too much noticeable to the eye, but you can see it in people's demeanor for sure.

Q. We all talk about your change-up obviously, but your fastball this season has been arguably just as good. Fastball command is something that is obviously so important. How do you remind people you do have a very good fastball as well and how well you've used it this season?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: If you want to see change-up all day, be my guest. I don't really pay attention to any of that. It's reading the hit or reading the swings and just keep them off balance. A lot of times this year, it's been necessary to use my fastball more, so that's what I've done.

Q. Devin, you've had a couple of postseasons where there was an injury and last year only one inning. How much does that motivate you or how much do you think about that, I guess, like wanting to show your best self in the playoffs and now having that best chance to do that?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: A lot of that is not dictated by myself. So I can only do so much with the opportunities that are given to me. I didn't really have a chance last year for a save or anything like that. I don't know. I'll be ready whenever the time comes.

Q. Because you guys just saw this team and all these hitters, how much do you draw from the at-bats and the sequencing and everything of how you matched up against them and how you want to attack them here now in this series?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: It all plays into it, right? Being that it's so fresh, like that was our last series, definitely need to be mindful of that. We can take some things from that last series, but that's pitching, right? You've got to continue to attack guys in different ways. You can't get predictable. I think we'll be on top of it.

Q. Willy talked about how there's been a different vibe in this team as opposed to some of the past year playoff teams. Do you agree and what is different about this squad this year?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: I would agree. I mean, I don't really know how to describe it to you. There's just a closeness in that room when everyone shows up every day, like we enjoy being together. No one really wants to go home when the game's over, which is different than in years past.

That's what I would say. We play for each other. We're always picking each other up. If you don't get the job done, the next guy's going to get it done, and we fully believe in that.

Q. The Brewers pretty much every year outperform expectations, projections from the outside. This year you guys traded Burnes, lost Yelich midseason, and yet here you are again. From where you sit, how does the organization do that every year?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: That goes back to what I was saying, next man up. We lost a guy like Yeli and Burnes and just kind of pull guys out of a hat, I guess. And Tobias and Colin stepped up really big this year.

Other than that, it's just a mindset in the clubhouse that next guy is going to step up, and we want them to be comfortable and be able to help our team in any way that they can.

Q. I thought you said pulling guys out of a hat on the pitching staff. Out of those guys that have seemingly been pulled out of a hat, come out of relatively nowhere to perform well this year, has there been any one in particular that impressed? I don't know that surprised is necessarily the right word, but you've been impressed by their ability to step up this year?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: In terms of like new guys, I would say Tobias for sure. I don't think anyone was expecting him to be in our rotation when we broke camp this spring, probably not even himself, but he keeps taking the ball every fifth day and every time, he gave us a chance to win.

Q. Historically these series openers in the Wild Card round are very important. How do you guys manage that without pressing and getting too over the moment?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: I think that we just need to play our game, come out with the same energy that we've had all season. It's going to be a little bit more ramped up here, being that it is the postseason. But I think with as young and inexperienced as this team is, they only know how to go 100 percent. We've done that all year, and I don't think it will be a problem going into tonight.

Q. We're sitting here probably seven hours before you get in this game, if you get in this game. How do you quiet your mind? How do you cover this time before it's time to go out there and pitch?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: I don't know. I just trust in my routine. I do the same thing every day, wake up, have my coffee, drive to the field, yada, yada. I just go about my business like I do any other day.

Q. It was mentioned your relative lack of postseason experience. You pitched a tiny bit last year against Arizona. From that little bit you got last year, how different or not different is it pitching in this kind of setting versus a regular season when you come out in the ninth inning?

DEVIN WILLIAMS: Obviously it's different. The stakes are a little higher, but that's a mentality. It's as big as you want it to be. I mean, if I'm not psyching myself out in my head and just going out there like everything's usual, I think it will be fine.