Devin Williams (right) of the Milwaukee Brewers is doused with liquid by Willy Adames after a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

MILWAUKEE — Perhaps the biggest addition for a contender around the MLB transfer deadline came for the Milwaukee Brewers when they brought back their own star closer from the injured list.

Devin Williams made his 2024 debut on July 28, two days before the trade deadline, after missing four months with stress fractures in his back, and he’s already giving the NL Central-leading Brewers as much of a boost as any player acquired by other teams in trades in the last month.

Williams retired the team in the ninth inning each of the final two days, helping the Brewers to a four-game tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a battle of division leaders.

“It’s great to hand the ball over to someone like him who you can trust completely,” Said Brewers pitcher Tobias Myers.

The Brewers trusted Williams to silence multiple MVPs on two consecutive days, and the two-time NL Reliever of the Year responded both times.

Devin Williams of the Brewers reacts after making a save in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds last Saturday in Milwaukee. (AP Photo)

Williams retired Andy Pages with a pop fly and struck out Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani to end Milwaukee’s 6-4 victory on Thursday afternoon. That came about 18 hours after he retired Ohtani, Betts and Freddie Freeman on just seven pitches to preserve a 5-4 triumph on Wednesday night.

“It doesn’t matter who is up there,” said Williams. “My job is to finish the game. That’s all I care about. Getting three outs before they tie the game. That’s all that matters. It doesn’t matter who the batter is.”

That attitude has helped make Williams one of the game’s best relievers when he’s healthy. It also helps that he has a changeup so effective it’s earned its own nickname: The Airbender.

Unfortunately, Williams wasn’t healthy at the start of this season. Williams wasn’t worried about rust when he finally returned to the game, saying he did that job effectively enough for so long that “It’s like riding a bike.”

Williams has proven this since his return.

This season, he has 11 strikeouts in six innings while allowing three hits, one walk and one run. His performance Thursday was especially notable as it was the first time this season that he pitched on back-to-back days.

“I’ve seen Devin out of the box too many times, so I know what these guys go through as hitters,” said first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who spent his entire career in Philadelphia before joining the Brewers this season. “But I can tell you, just playing behind him, it’s great to see him attack those guys.

“Everyone knows his changeup. It’s one of the best pitches in baseball. But the way he’s thrown a heater like that the last few days and just challenged the guys to get one step ahead of them has been outstanding.”

Williams’ return came at an ideal time. Trevor Megill, who filled in as Milwaukee’s closer for the first four months of the season, was placed on the injured list with a back strain when Williams returned. Megill began rehab training at Single-A Wisconsin on Thursday as he nears his return.

Before his injury, Megill had teamed with Bryan Hudson, Jared Koenig, Joel Payamps and Elvis Peguero, among others, to help Milwaukee’s bullpen perform admirably in Williams’ absence. The Brewers bolstered that relief corps by signing Nick Mears from Colorado at the trade deadline.

The Brewers entered Thursday with a bullpen ERA of 3.26, second in the major leagues behind the leading Cleveland Guardians (2.72), who begin a three-game series at Milwaukee on Friday, and now the bullpen is finally nearly full again.

“It’s starting to look like a completely broken bullpen, you know,” said Williams. “There are many possibilities. I am sure this is every manager’s dream.”

And every thug’s nightmare.

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