PHOENIX — Devin Williams’ air-bending changeup has consistently produced some of the most awkward swings in baseball.

To get there, Williams relies on a meticulously consistent approach.

“The bullpen routine that I do during the game to prepare to get on the mound to do my thing, it is the exact same every day,” Williams said before the Brewers played their Cactus League opener against San Diego on Saturday.

“We’re in new stadiums, new city, new bed, every three days. The only thing that stays the same is my routine. That kind of keeps me grounded and allows me to be focused.”

The proof is in the results. Williams -- who did not appear in the Brewers' 11-7 win over the Padres to open Cactus League play on Saturday -- was arguably the best closer in the National League in his first full season in that role in 2023.

Williams was 8-3 with 36 saves and a 1.53 ERA last season, with peripherals that filled out a portrait of dominance. Opponents batted .129 against him, the lowest average in the NL, and he gave up only 3.99 hits per nine innings.

Williams ranked in the 99th percentile of Major League pitchers in strikeout percentage and swing-and-miss percentage, according to Statcast. His expected ERA and soft contact rates also were near to top.

“When he is out there, he is going to step on your throat,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said.

If he does not reach out and grab it.

Williams’ arm extension, which is determined by how far off the mound the hand is when a pitch is released, was graded at 100 percent.

“He’s a bad man when he is out there,” Murphy said. “He loves to compete. Great competitors, you don’t have to worry about them staying still. Great competitors want more. They want to be better.

“They want to solidify what they already have. It doesn’t always show in the numbers every year in baseball, but Devin’s passionate about his career. He’s passionate about competing. I feel confident he will find ways to get better.”

Williams settled on his gameday pattern in part by watching the way former teammate Josh Hader did it. He also observes how other closers approach the job, although by now his the routine is all but set.

Every game day, Williams spends the first two innings working out in the weight room. He gets out the bullpen in the third inning, “just to kind of zone out for an inning.”

“Then I start my routine,” he said. “Preparing my body. Stretching. Activating my arm. Doing my weighted balls and all that. I do it inning-by-inning as the game is going on, so I’m synched up.”

Then it is on to the bullpen mound and into a game, where Williams combines a 94 mph fastball with the 84 mph changeup he uses about 60 percent of the time.

Murphy likened the arm and hand motion on Williams’ changeup to that of former Los Angeles Dodgers screwball specialist Fernando Valenzuela, calling it “almost freaky the way it turns.”

“Guys obviously don’t see it well or take great swings against it,” Christian Yelich said. “You give him the ball in the ninth, it is usually a good thing for us.”

Williams has set a standard for himself that he hopes to carry over.

“My focus is on continuing to do the things that I always do,” he said. “Getting ahead in counts, putting myself in an advantageous position. And just executing my pitches. Mental preparation. Physical preparation. Knowing the hitters that I am facing.

“Just continuing to do that and feel as prepared as I can when I step onto the mound. That way, I’m fully locked in and I can focus on the task at hand. My intention is to be 100 percent present on every pitch that I throw."