Mets' Williams Unfazed by First-Pitch Homer as He Develops New Pitches

Reliever Devin Williams is working on adding a cutter and slider to his repertoire in spring training.

Feb. 27, 2026 at 10:35pm

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Devin Williams, the Mets' new $51 million closer, gave up a first-pitch home run in his spring training debut but isn't concerned, as he focuses on developing a cutter and slider to complement his elite fastball-changeup combination.

Why it matters

Williams is a key offseason acquisition for the Mets, tasked with replacing the departed Edwin Díaz as the team's closer. His ability to successfully add new pitches to his arsenal could be crucial to his success in the role.

The details

In the Mets' 14-3 win over the Cardinals on Friday, Williams served up a first-pitch homer to JJ Wetherholt on what manager Carlos Mendoza called a 'cutter that didn't cut much.' Williams has toyed with a cutter and slider for years but has relied heavily on his fastball and changeup. This spring, he's making a concerted effort to develop the new pitches to get left-handed hitters out and get right-handers to chase. After the homer, Williams retired the next three batters on just eight pitches, throwing one additional cutter.

  • On February 27, 2026, Williams made his Mets debut in a spring training game against the Cardinals.

The players

Devin Williams

A relief pitcher who signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Mets this offseason to be their new closer, replacing Edwin Díaz.

Carlos Mendoza

The Mets' manager, who commented on Williams' development of a cutter and slider to complement his elite fastball-changeup combination.

JJ Wetherholt

A Cardinals player who hit a first-pitch home run off Williams in the spring training game.

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What they’re saying

“That one specifically, I was just trying to throw a strike and he jumped on it. I kind of babied it, trying to just throw it over the plate. He wasn't giving me strike one.”

— Devin Williams, Mets Pitcher

“I think it's more of a luxury. He's been pretty elite with the fastball-changeup combo. And now adding that cutter/slider, it's going to get hitters away from sitting on just one particular pitch. That changeup's elite, but something that goes into lefties, away from righties, and not so much up and down, is important.”

— Carlos Mendoza, Mets Manager

What’s next

Williams will have plenty more chances to test his new cutter and slider as the Grapefruit League season progresses.

The takeaway

Williams' ability to successfully develop a cutter and slider to complement his elite fastball-changeup combination could be crucial to his success as the Mets' new closer, as he looks to replace the departed Edwin Díaz.