At moment, Bronx mound not feeling like a homefield advantage to Devin Williams
Devin Williams #38 of the New York Yankees pitches during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Yankee Stadium on Monday, May 5, 2025. Credit: Jim McIsaac
In the aftermath of Devin Williams’ most recent meltdown, the demoted closer blamed the mound for his eighth-inning troubles, particularly the landing spot muddied by Monday’s persistent rain.
It was a plausible excuse. The playing conditions were abysmal for that night’s game, which was delayed at the start and interrupted midway through by passing showers.
Based on Williams’ struggles since putting on pinstripes, however, maybe the real issue wasn’t so much the shape of the mound but it’s location. The problem is that it happens to be in Yankee Stadium.
Because if Williams feels fine physically, maintains that he’s comfortable with his mechanics and still can’t deliver effective pitches, in the strike zone, on a consistent basis, then what’s the reason for his sudden career nosedive?
For one night, at least, the Yankees didn’t have to obsess over their bullpen’s biggest worry in Tuesday’s 12-3 steamrolling of the Padres. Fernando Cruz handled the only high-leverage situation, pitching out of a seventh-inning jam, and the Yankees responded with a 10-run barrage in the bottom half, powered by five RBIs from Austin Wells, including his first career grand slam.
“That was a lot of fun to watch,” Wells said.
In other words, the exact opposite of what the Yankees have witnessed lately from Williams. Of their more pressing issues -- production from the third-base position, rotation depth, the extended absence of Jazz Chisholm -- Williams continues to be the one that haunts the Yankees the most, only because he’s a shell of his former dominant self.
And neither Williams nor the Yankees seem to be making any progress toward figuring out how to get that dominant version back since he was pulled from the closer’s role on April 27. At the time, the intent was to have Williams take a deep breath, succeed in lower-leverage situations and then reclaim his job in the not-too-distant future.
Through the first week, Williams’ redemption tour stayed on track. Three appearances, three innings, three strikeouts -- zero runs. Then came Monday, when manager Aaron Boone inserted Williams into what he thought was a relatively low-risk scenario, as the Yankees had a 3-0 lead in the eighth with the Padres sending up the bottom of the order.
Still, Williams didn’t survive the inning. After two strikeouts, two walks and a broken-bat single loaded the bases, Boone came out to retrieve him.
“I feel confident on the mound,” Williams said afterward. “Felt like I was in a good spot. It’s one of those nights where you’re not only battling the hitter, I was battling the mound. But we’re all given the same set of circumstances and I couldn’t pull through tonight.”
Luke Weaver, who replaced him as closer, didn’t do Williams any favors by allowing all three of those runs to score in the Yankees’ eventual 4-3 loss. As a result, Williams’ 10.03 ERA is the fourth-worst among 192 qualified relievers and his 1.97 WHIP is tied for sixth from the bottom.
This Williams bears little resemblance to the “air-bender” wizard the Yankees believed they had traded for last December. Other than maybe the beard, which Williams only has because Hal Steinbrenner changed the franchise’s half-century-old facial hair policy shortly after his arrival.
How damaging was Williams’ Monday night slog? As you might expect, Boone hesitated to label it a back-to-square-one stumble, despite Williams being an accessory to flushing a near-certain victory.
“I still maintain this is not a pitcher we’re trying to re-invent or a guy that’s past his prime,” Boone said Tuesday afternoon. “He’s still elite, and all the stuff there is saying that. Even (Monday) night, it’s not that he’s getting hit around. So I do feel like it’s very close. It’s just about controlling counts a little better, and once he does that, he’ll ascend real quick.”
Boone’s in a tough position. The Yankees obviously have to get Williams up to speed ASAP, but this isn’t spring training, so he’s got to pick the spots tailored to be ego-boosters for Williams, who in turn has to start stacking them to restore Boone’s faith. Williams may be a distressed asset at the moment, but he’s still an active member of the bullpen and Boone has to use him.
“On given nights, it’s got to be anything and everything,” Boone said of his strategy with Williams. “But I want to keep him in leverage situations, at the back end of games, places that he’s normally used to pitching in. Try where I can for clean innings and things like that that. So just being mindful of that, but also understanding that we need him as a key guy down there.”
Too often, however, Williams has proven to be a grenade in the middle of this relief corps, and it’s been difficult to identify the threat until it’s too late. Some of that seems to involve his shift from small-market Milwaukee to the big stage in the Bronx, a process the Yankees have tried to make as comfortable as possible.
“It’s part of the business, it’s part of being in New York, and that’s how it goes,” said Carlos Rodon, who went through a bumpy transition himself. “If you don’t pitch well, you’re going to get booed. If you pitch well, they’re going to love you.”
Williams could use some of that love to get comfortable on the mound, muddy or otherwise. But he’s got to earn it first.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
