what’s that sound?
The thunderous applause at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night went to Aaron Judge, of course, and Jazz Chisholm, whose home runs powered the New York Yankees’ historic 9-6 comeback, must-have win over Toronto. But Devin Williams, the much-maligned former Biloxi Shuckers closer, heard his share of cheers, too. Williams, the fourth of five relievers the Yankees used to shut down the Blue Jays after the third inning, worked 1 1/3 scoreless — the seventh into the eighth — and was credited with a hold as New York won Game 3 of this American League Division Series. When David Bednar replaced him, Williams got a standing ovation as he left the mound. “That’s awesome,” Williams told the New York Post. “It was definitely a lot better than what I’ve heard for much of the year.” Acquired in a December trade after a stellar run in Milwaukee, Williams (Shuckers 2019) posted a 4.79 ERA for the Yankees. He had 18 saves but blew four and suffered six losses in 67 appearances. By season’s end, he was largely relegated to mop-up work and was often greeted with jeers and boos from the home crowd. Williams had only three save opportunities the last two months. But Yankees fans, nothing if not fickle, loved him Tuesday night — and now they might get a chance to see him again in tonight’s Game 4. P.S. Old Jackson Mets fans surely remember Game 1 of the 1986 National League Championship Series, which took place on Oct. 8 at the Astrodome. Houston ace Mike Scott, a JaxMets alum, threw a brilliant 14-strikeout, five-hit shutout at his old team, beating Doc Gooden 1-0. A Glenn Davis homer was the game’s only run. The Mets’ starting lineup included former JaxMets Lenny Dykstra, Wally Backman, Darryl Strawberry and Mookie Wilson; Lee Mazzilli, Kevin Elster and Jesse Orosco also got in for New York. The Mets, en route to a World Series title, would win that NLCS in six dramatic games, with Scott — who also beat them in Game 4 — slated to go again had there been a Game 7.
