“I’m really struggling right now”: Yankees closer Devin Williams falters again in a crucial moment

Today at Yankee Stadium, a bullpen battle unfolded between the Yankees and the Astros, but the New York Yankees ultimately lost 3-5 in the 10th inning.

Since June 13 in the U.S., the Yankees (61 wins, 55 losses) have only managed a record of 19 wins and 30 losses. They find themselves in third place in the AL East, trailing the first-place Blue Jays (68 wins, 49 losses) by 6.5 games, and they hold a slim half-game lead over the Guardians (60 wins, 55 losses), currently occupying the third and final wild card spot in the AL, as the Guardians won decisively against the White Sox with a score of 9-5.

Yankees closer Devin Williams found himself on the mound again in the ninth inning or later, marking the third time in his last four appearances, but once again, he was unable to get the job done.

In the top of the 10th inning, with the score still tied at 2-2, Jose Altuve was on second base as an automatic runner. Williams threw a wild pitch, allowing Altuve to advance to third. Facing an infield drawn in, Carlos Correa hit a line drive that brought Altuve home, scoring the go-ahead run.

After three batters, Williams threw a hanging changeup, which Taylor Trammell capitalized on to hit a two-run home run, extending the lead to three runs. This marked the fourth home run Williams has allowed to opponents in his last eight games.

“Correa probably did a good job of hitting my changeup; [that pitch] was low and out of the zone. He broke his bat on that hit, so it wasn’t a bad pitch,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But that pitch to Trammell was a mistake.”

Why did Boone choose to go with Williams instead of David Bednar or Mark Leiter Jr.? Boone had already decided before the game that he would only use Bednar and Leiter in emergency situations. Bednar used 42 pitches to secure his first save as a Yankee on Wednesday against the Rangers, while Leiter had pitched in both games against Texas on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Since July 2, Williams has given up 13 runs (12 earned) in 13.2 innings of work. From Boone’s comments, it seems he is trying to avoid putting Williams in high-pressure situations.

“We’re just trying to find him situations with less pressure,” Boone said. “Right now, the starters aren’t going deep into games, the bullpen needs to be pieced together, and some pitchers need rest—it’s tough to manage, and you don’t always get those opportunities. We will work to find him the right situations to get back to being a key part of the bullpen, which is where he should be.”

From his tone, it seems Williams is shocked by his struggles. He hasn’t faced such difficulties since 2018, when he was just coming back from ligament replacement surgery and had a 5.82 ERA in 14 games in the Advanced A Carolina League.

This time, Williams is not coming back from an injury. His ERA in his first season in New York is 5.73. In contrast, during his six years with the Brewers, he had an ERA of only 1.83.

“I didn’t pitch well. It’s that simple. I’m really struggling right now,” Williams said. “You give me the ball, and I’ll do my best.”

When asked if he feels confident, Williams said, “I wouldn’t say my confidence is as high as it used to be—clearly, given the current situation, my confidence is definitely not high.”

Williams feels he is close to regaining stability on the mound. Looking at the games he has pitched, the issues often come down to one mistake, and opposing teams are making him pay for it.

“It’s tough,” Williams said.