New-look Yankees survive late Devin Williams drama to take tense Opening Day win over Brewers

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.The road to redemption is a long one, but it began in The Bronx on Thursday for the Yankees in encouraging fashion.Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe, two homegrown talents the Yankees hope to be cornerstones, both homered.

Carlos Rodón, who needs to step up with injuries ravaging the rotation, did just that.And a bullpen that has the chance to be the strength of the team delivered on that promise, even with a dicey top of the ninth.All at least for one game.The Yankees are 1-0 after a 4-2 win over the Brewers on Opening Day in front of a sellout crowd of 46,208 who spent most of the afternoon happy before the tense final inning.New closer Devin Williams, facing the team that traded him to the Yankees in December, loaded the bases with no outs.

Brice Turang hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2 before Williams struck out Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich on full counts to end it.In their first game since a crushing Game 5 defeat to the Dodgers in the World Series, and then an injury-riddled spring, the Yankees began the regular season on the right foot.Rodón, getting the Opening Day start with Gerrit Cole out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, turned in a sharp outing.The left-hander struck out seven across 5 ¹/₃ innings of one-run ball, getting the shorthanded rotation off to a strong start.Wells was already making history Thursday by becoming the first Yankees catcher to bat leadoff.

Then he made some more, becoming the first catcher with a leadoff home run on Opening Day in MLB history when he drilled Freddy Peralta’s high fastball to the short porch in right field for a 1-0 lead.An inning later, Volpe followed his close friend’s lead by also taking Peralta deep to right field to put the Yankees up 2-0.Volpe hit the ball hard all spring without much to show for it, but got rewarded immediately on Thu...