NEW YORK – When Chicago Cubs transaction Trevor Williams arrive New York Mets Last July, he wasn’t sure what to expect. Williams has previously played in the Marlins, Pirates and Cubs organizations, but he knows playing in a big market like New York is a different challenge. More eyes, more scrutiny, brighter spotlights.
And besides: “Trading in the middle of the season is always a storm,” Williams said.
After hearing the news, one of the first people Williams approached was not a new teammate, but a competitor – current Yankee Jameson Taillon. From 2016 to 2019, Williams and Taillon became friends during their time together on the Pirates. Taillon was traded with Yankees before the 2021 season, giving himself half a season of playing football under the supervision of the New York market to share with his former teammate.
“It’s great to have Jameson there and have a familiar face to at least get your attention,” Williams said. “He said, ‘This is what New York is all about. You can experience the city, don’t be afraid to go out and live it to the fullest.”
“Trevor is very sure of who he is,” says Taillon. “He’s not a guy that I would have thought New York would be a problem.”
Undoubtedly, the spotlight has brought out the best in both throwers. Taillon has been a turning point for the Yankees juggernaut this season, posting 3.86 ERAs in 100⅓ plays in 18 starts. Williams has emerged as a Swiss Army knife for the Mets, with a 3.56 ERA in 17 games and eight starts in 55⅔ innings in 2022. As the Yankees and Mets prepare to take on this week’s Subway Series at Citi Field, two friends will fight for New York’s baseball bragging rights.
But even as they go head-to-head in what New Yorkers hope to see ahead of October’s World Series, Taillon and Williams realize their friendship is a major part of their support system. The two regularly chat with each other in a group chat that includes Williams, Taillon, Padres Vase Joe Musgrove and Rockies Vase Chad KuhlAll were teammates in Pittsburgh.
“We have a mutual interest in sending each other really funny Instagram memes,” Taillon said. “And then he would send me pitches, hip mobility, and other random funny videos.”
Taillon and Williams first met while playing for Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pirates, bonded by a love of pitching and emo and metal music in the mid-2000s – bands like Dashboard Confessional, Underoath, Good Charlotte, Simple Plan and Yellow Card.
“We grew up in the pop-punk boom, where you weren’t allowed to like that kind of music,” Williams said. “But I really like this. We’re open to that and we’re going to talk about how it’s like the new dad rock.”
Back then, they were in similar stages of their lives, trying to rise to the big leagues and talking about how to best maximize their arsenal on the mound. But their love of music and other shared interests also mean they can talk about life off the pitch, something both Williams and Taillon look for in work friends.
“We have hobbies and interests outside of baseball that we can keep apart,” Williams said. “Let’s be friends outside of baseball.”
Over the years, they were always together in the big moments. When Williams was called up to the pro in 2016, he hugged his dad on the field to celebrate the moment. Taillon also starts that game and recalls the Williams family’s feelings. In 2017, when Taillon was on the injury list after undergoing surgery for testicular cancer, it was Williams who replaced him in the rotation and established himself as a leapfrog.
At the end of the 2017 season, when both were members of the Pirates rotation, their schedules overlap more than ever – clubhouse time becomes a time for pitchers meetings , leading to catch-up time, morning coffee time and shared bourbon time on team flights.
“That’s when you two really get to know each other,” Taillon said.
Taillon and Williams represent several pieces of the core roster for a Pirates team trying to rebuild, including others like Gerrit Cole, Austin Meadows, Adam Frazier, Josh Bell, Josh Harrison, Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen. In the end, the Pirates blew up the whole thing and sacrificed much of the core of that team. Many of these same players later succeeded in other organizations.
“Looking back on it now, I wish we were still together,” Williams said. “I wish people could go through those five seasons with the same group of boys and go through a big season again.”
When Williams landed in New York, the opportunity to recreate that momentum – at least in part – presented itself. Taillon gave Williams a booklet of restaurants to eat in the city, recommending everything from tapas to the best places for spicy margaritas. And as Williams prepares to face the pressure of becoming the Met, Taillon tells him what he’s learned as a Yankee.
Williams said of Taillon’s advice: “The moment you embrace the history of the team, the fans, the big life, the better. “If you dodge any of those things, it’s going to be a little harder for you to walk or get your feet right. The reason they have the brightest lights is because they want you to step up and perform for the city, for the community. your team and the fans. The more we talk about that, the more seamless the transition becomes.”
Due to the crowded baseball schedule, Williams and Taillon don’t hang out as much as they would like, even if they live in the same city. They follow each other’s performances through scores and video highlights on social media, messaging each other about how they’re feeling so far in that season. When they coincided one day, Taillon took the subway to Greenpoint, where Williams lived. The two friends walked for breakfast in Williamsburg before sitting on a bench in McCarren Park and looking out over the Manhattan skyline.
“It was a brother’s day,” Taillon said. “Just good times.”
As they sat on the bench in Williamsburg, Williams and Taillon reflected on how much their friendship meant to their personal growth.
“I was so lucky to have grown up in the big leagues not only with him but with other people while we were all in the Pirates,” Williams said. “I know it’s something that not many people experience. It’s fun to watch teammates succeed, but it’s more fun to watch friends succeed.”
