When the Yankees acquired Devin Williams from the Brewers in December, he began what has been a rocky relationship with a new fanbase.
The two-time National League Reliever of the Year didn’t make a strong first impression, recording an 11.25 ERA over his first 10 games. The performance led to unprecedented boos for Williams, questions over his comfort in New York, and his removal as the Yankees’ closer.
But with Luke Weaver hurt, Williams is back in the role. The return comes with Williams better resembling his best self lately, as he’s held opponents scoreless in 16 of his last 19 outings. On Thursday, he picked up his second save in as many days, recording a 1-2-3 ninth in a 1-0 win over the Royals, giving the Bronx faithful more reason to get behind him.
One of Williams’ new fans isn’t all that interested in his highs and lows, though. Instead, Michael DiMartino has taken note of Williams because of his signature pitch, “The Airbender.”
“He’s definitely on my radar now,” DiMartino told the Daily News. “I’ll have to check out a game.”
DiMartino, not much of a baseball fan, had no idea Williams existed until recently. However, he and Bryan Konietzko co-created “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” the show that inspired the nickname bestowed upon Williams’ go-to changeup.
The animated series, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in February, aired on Nickelodeon from 2005-2008. Popular among kids and critics – the cartoon won a Primetime Emmy and a Peabody Award — “Avatar” tackled complex themes such as war, genocide, colonialism, discrimination, sexism, classism, animal cruelty, corruption, death and the afterlife despite being geared toward younger viewers.
“I’ve seen a little bit,” the 30-year-old Williams told The News, noting that he’s watched Season 1 multiple times. “I haven’t seen all of it. I used to watch it as a kid, though.”
“Avatar” is set in an anime-influenced universe that’s full of martial artists who can telekinetically manipulate, or “bend,” one of four elements: water, earth, fire or air. Nations are divided based on which element its people can bend, and the Fire Nation is on an imperialistic warpath throughout the show.
Only the Avatar, a 12-year-old boy named Aang, can bend all four elements. He’s responsible for maintaining harmony between nations.
There’s way more lore to it all, but the thing to know is that Airbenders can make things move like crazy, just like Williams.
“I had never thought about it before,” DiMartino said, “but someone who can actually air-bend would make a great pitcher.”
According to Baseball Savant, Williams’ Airbender entered the 2025 season as the most valuable pitch thrown by a reliever since 2020. While the Mets’ Pete Alonso got a hold of one last October and the pitch lacked effectiveness when Williams struggled earlier this season, it’s back to being a deadly weapon, yielding a 39.6% whiff rate in May and a 40% rate so far in June.
Devin Williams, Ridiculous Airbender. 🛸
25 Inches of Arm Side Movement. 😲 pic.twitter.com/AmFkmU13nY
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 22, 2025
Williams doesn’t use telekinesis to make his Airbender dart, though, even if it may seem that way at times.
“It kind of defies physics,” said Yankees Triple-A catcher Alex Jackson, who caught Williams in Milwaukee and this spring.
Added Ben Rice: “It looks like a cue ball coming in.”
Williams’ wrist pronation and flexion are responsible for his Airbender’s movement. So is former Brewers and current Yankees teammate Trent Grisham, who recommended that Williams alter the grip of his changeup when the two were with Milwaukee in 2019.
“He does a really good job of getting his hand to the top, inside corner of the ball,” said Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake. “Most guys side-spin the ball or cut it, and he does a good job of top-spinning the inside of the ball at a really high rate. So it ends up being essentially a left-handed slider with how hard he spins it from that position. Most guys can’t do that.”
Others referred to The Airbender as a screwball when Williams first started chucking it.
The debate left Rob Friedman, a.k.a. the Pitching Ninja, searching for an alternative. Then he remembered the show about a kid who can bend air.
“I was definitely familiar with the name of the cartoon, but never watched it,” Friedman said. “I just liked the name and thought it was a great way to categorize something that’s so nasty while stopping the argument of whether it was a changeup or screwball.”
Every Swing and Miss on new Yankees Devin Williams’ Airbender Changeup in 2024 pic.twitter.com/MLWMBaDkpO
— Timothy Chen (@TimStats) December 13, 2024
Weaver, who throws his own filthy changeup, said Williams’ is “in a different category” and a “unicorn-type pitch.”
Austin Wells agreed, claiming Williams has an “anomaly” in his arsenal.
“It’s just different than what guys are used to seeing,” Williams said.
While the Yankees have become familiar with Williams’ Airbender, the group didn’t know much about DiMartino’s. Like Friedman, few had seen the series. Some didn’t even know about it.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. proved to be an exception.
“I watched it growing up,” said the Yankees’ resident cartoon expert, who wears anime-inspired gear. “My mom bought me the discs that had all the seasons and all the episodes on it.
“I watched it a lot.”
Williams, meanwhile, has leaned into being baseball’s first Airbender.
The image used for this story is the same one that Williams uses for his profile pic on Instagram. It was created by Francis Lee, a big fan of the Yankees and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
The glowing eyes and arrow in the center of Williams’ forehead are a nod to Aang’s character design. The same arrow appears on Yankee Stadium’s jumbotron when he enters a game.
“It’s cute!” said DiMartino, who majored in animation at the Rhode Island School of Design. “He makes a good-looking Avatar.”
Could Williams make a good-sounding “Avatar” character, though?
Maybe he’ll get the opportunity to find out.
In 2021, Nickelodeon founded Avatar Studios with the intention of an expanded universe through new shows and movies. One film, “The Legend of Aang,” has already been announced.
If Williams were to ever lend his voice to the Avatar universe, he wouldn’t be the first athlete to do so. Tennis icon Serena Williams is “obsessed” with the show and made cameos in “The Last Airbender” and a spinoff, “The Legend of Korra.”
“You never know,” DiMartino said of the Yankees’ Williams playing a part.
Williams has never done any voice acting, but he’s open to the idea.
“Sure,” he said. “Tell him to contact my agent.”
Chisholm, meanwhile, sounded ready to represent Williams should Nickelodeon come calling.
“He should be doing that!” the third baseman said. “That’s why you have that great nickname, bro. Use it to your advantage. It’s sick!”
Williams said he’d like to finish the original “Avatar” series, as he’s a fan of anime. For now, however, he will focus on closing. DiMartino plans on checking in, though the Vermont native’s newfound support comes with a plot twist.
“Growing up in New England, Boston teams were my dad’s favorites, so the Red Sox hold a special place in my heart,” said DiMartino, who watched Bill Buckner’s infamous error in the 1986 World Series in horror before shifting his interests away from baseball. “I’ll still be rooting for the Red Sox if the Yankees play them. Sorry, Devin!”
With the Bombers starting a new series against the Red Sox on Friday, Williams, who already has one save against Boston this season, would rather make Yankees fans happy than DiMartino.
“Hopefully,” he said, “I don’t give him anything to cheer about.”
