The Yankees’ bullpen is in flames!
“Gut-punch.”
That’s the phrase Aaron Boone usually saves for the worst losses. And if this keeps up, he might as well tattoo it on the Yankees’ dugout wall. Because if Monday night’s collapse is anything to go by, this team is in for a long, exhausting season, one where even a three-run lead feels unsafe.
For all their flaws, a shaky rotation, an offense that can be streaky, the Yankees were at least supposed to have a bullpen. That’s what made the Devin Williams signing feel like a coup in December. Now? It feels like a gamble that’s imploding in real time.
Devin Williams, stripped of his closer duties just a week ago, found himself in another high-leverage spot on Monday night. The result? Complete chaos. And yet another meltdown. The 30-year-old gave up three earned runs in the eighth, turning a 3-0 lead into a 4-3 loss to the Padres at a rain-soaked Yankee Stadium. Two walks, a single, and just two outs later, Boone had seen enough. Williams exited with the bases loaded and boos raining down.
It didn’t get better from there.
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Luke Weaver, previously spotless in 15 innings this season, promptly gave up back-to-back hits, a two-run double by Manny Machado and a two-run single from Xander Bogaerts, to flip the game completely.
And just like that, another wasted outing for Carlos Rodon. Another blown lead. Another gut-punch.
This marked the Yankees’ fifth loss of the season when leading in the eighth inning or later, the most in MLB. Williams has played a starring role in three of them.
Here’s the number that stings the most: 13 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings.
That’s already equal to the total runs he gave up in the past two years combined – 80 1/3 innings with Milwaukee.
To spell it out:
This is not a slump. This is a disaster.
And it’s especially painful because the Yankees didn’t just bring Williams in to be a setup man, they handed him the ninth inning, counting on his signature “Airbender” changeup and his 1.83 career ERA to lock down wins. Instead, he’s become a liability in any inning.
Even Boone’s backup plan didn’t save them. Weaver finally cracked, and the Padres took full advantage. Anthony Volpe’s sacrifice fly in the sixth, which had given New York a 3-0 cushion, ended up as little more than a footnote.
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What the Yankees have now is a bullpen in crisis, and a high-priced reliever in Williams who can’t be trusted in the late innings. If this team wants to stay atop the AL East, it better find answers fast. Because if Devin Williams keeps pitching like this, “gut-punch” is going to become the story of the season.
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