Yankees postseason success might hinge on a blockbuster dud

It’s been a rough year for New York Yankees reliever Devin Williams. An elite closer not long ago, Williams owns an unsightly 5.03 ERA in his one season in pinstripes. But he’s not the only Yankee reliever facing struggles.

The past month has been an awful stretch for the Yankees bullpen, which have managed to raise its cumulative ERA to 4.50, the eighth-worst mark in baseball this season. This number is higher than that of any team currently in the postseason picture (Arizona Diamondbacks are one game out of the NL wild card) and has proven to be the Achilles’ heel of an otherwise solid team. The timing of these relief woes is also a point of concern as we are just over a week away from the postseason. The Yankees magic number to clinch is at three entering Tuesday. 

As their current situation stands, the Yankees have just one relief pitcher with a sub-3.00 ERA, closer David Bednar. And though they feature an effective starting rotation, the Yankees still face the problem of reaching Bednar with any prospective lead intact. However, upon a close examination, it would seem Williams is quickly becoming a viable option to fill this gap.

Is Devin Williams returning to form? 

Over his past six outings, Williams pitched six innings while giving up three hits, one walk and no runs, while garnering 10 strikeouts. In his last two innings, he managed all six outs by strikeout. Williams leads Yankee relievers in this stat with 88. In his most recent scoreless stretch, he was able to lower his opponent batting average to .198, though that's still a career high for him.

This is a good sign for the struggling superstar heading into the postseason. Still, any skepticism of his latest success is warranted. Williams has pitched to similar success throughout the year in between blowups. His 23.14 career postseason ERA also offers ample discouragement for the Yankees World Series hopes. 

But regardless of his past experience and sporadic blowups, Williams’ recent performance displays an improved sense of command. Command of his pitches is something that was nonexistent during his meltdowns, when he was frequently missing location, giving way to walks and hits. If the "Airbender" has indeed returned to his once-cunning form, he could be the overlooked bullpen weapon that bridges the hazardous gap between the Yankees starters and their closer.