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    Yankees Veteran Sends 5-Word Devin Williams Message as ‘Pressure’ Mounts

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    By Peter Chawaga

    Copyright newsweek

    Yankees Veteran Sends 5-Word Devin Williams Message as 'Pressure' Mounts

    The New York Yankees have recovered from a second-half collapse and seem relatively secure in playoff position with just a few games remaining in the regular season.But aside from orchestrating a final stretch to maintain that position, manager Aaron Boone faces a big question before the postseason starts: Who will be getting the ball in the late innings before David Bednar can take over?The Yankees seem set in their initial playoff rotation, with Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Luis Gil most likely to start the first three games. And then Bednar has been the clear closer option since joining the team at the trade deadline. But the other high-leverage options are not so clear.To start the season, it seemed like Luke Weaver would be setting up dominant closer Devin Williams all year long. Instead, both pitchers have struggled and it’s hard to say who might serve as a reliable bridge.But when asked about what he expects from Williams in the playoffs, Weaver went straight to a five-word message about his overall character.”Devin is a good dude,” Weaver said, as seen in a YouTube video of a recent episode of “The Show.” “He is in a great place right now, I feel like he’s throwing the ball as well as he ever has. … I do believe in this group, I do believe in rising to the occasion when the pressure’s on the line.”Despite Weaver’s faith, there is reason to harbor some doubt about Williams’ ability to perform in the playoffs. As a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, he logged a 21.60 ERA in two postseason games last year and he had a 27.00 ERA mark in one postseason game the year before that. Williams also seemed to struggle under the pressure of a highly anticipated Yankees addition earlier this year.Despite that evidence, Weaver said that the pressure of the playoffs “is something that is going to elevate him to a height that we’re going to be able to depend on him with,” per the YouTube clip of his recent interview on “The Show.”Obviously, Weaver has little choice but to voice faith in his bullpen counterpart. But Yankees fans will have to hope that Weaver’s assessment is spot on as the team desperately needs another reliable bullpen performer.More MLB: MLB Players Reportedly Against Pursuit of Salary Cap, Label It ‘Declaration of War

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