This time, the boos were reserved for him. They followed Devin Williams as he walked off the field and toward the Mets dugout, his latest implosion scattered around the bases and evident on the scoreboard.
There were mock cheers — “MVP” and “Aus-tin War-ren” chants — when Austin Warren entered in the ninth inning after Williams was pulled and proceeded to record three consecutive strikeouts.
Because for the third consecutive appearance, Williams, handed $51 million and the Mets closer role in the offseason to prove his brutal year in The Bronx was an anomaly, delivered a disaster.
This time, in the 5-3 loss to the Twins on Tuesday that marked a 12th consecutive Mets defeat, he allowed the final two runs on one hit and three walks, bringing his ERA to 9.95 this season.
He entered a tie game and failed to record an out, adding another chapter to the Mets bullpen woes this month.
“I felt a little out of sync mechanically,” Williams said. “Couldn’t really land my changeup for strikes, so it was tough to try and just beat guys with just the fastball.”
Williams entered play with a career ERA of 4.95 in March and April, and around this time last year, he was demoted from the Yankees closer role they’d just acquired him for in the first place.
It didn’t take long for those issues to appear again with the Mets, as he allowed a grand slam on April 15 against the Dodgers and then blew the save Sunday against the Cubs.
And against the Twins, Williams struggled with command. Three of his five batters had three-ball counts. He struggled with the challenge of being a one-dimensional pitcher when his signature “Airbender” change kept missing the zone.
He walked Josh Bell on four pitchers. He walked Ryan Jeffers. Mark Vientos couldn’t record a force out on a sacrifice bunt, which loaded the bases. Then, Luke Keaschall singled to left and Matt Wallner walked, and the Mets lost any chance to snap their lengthy skid — their longest since 2002 — in the bottom of the frame.
“Once you start walking people,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, “you’re in dangerous territory there.”
Instead, Warren mockingly became the star of the ninth inning. He was the one who entered and stranded the bases loaded.
This was the risk when the Mets signed Williams. There was always the danger that his struggles with the Yankees last season weren’t a fluke.
Those concerns have only continued to reappear. And Tuesday was just the latest instance.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
