The Yankees’ season is unraveling in August. What should have been a championship surge has felt more like a mid-season wipeout, as losses continue to accumulate. The team is in a tailspin, winning just two of their last eight contests while their pitching falls apart, drawing intense scrutiny and criticism, especially for their new right-handed arm.
The most recent breakdown was a heartbreaking 5-3 loss to the Astros in extra innings. It was a familiar story of the Yanks crumbling in a high-pressure situation again. The team’s once-mighty bullpen has become its Achilles’ heel, fueling frustrations with each loss. And the arm on the radar? Devin Williams, who gave up three runs in the 10th inning.
Voicing the public’s growing frustration with the Yankees’ performance, WFAN’s Keith McPherson criticized the team’s bullpen management as “malpractice.” On his show, he questioned manager Aaron Boone’s logic of continuing to use Williams in high-leverage situations, pointing out that he had already “blown at least eight games.”
“It’s a malpractice. It doesn’t make any sense what is going on… Did I say over eight times he had blown at least eight games?” “I thought we were done pitching him late in the game…” McPherson said.
I thought we were done with this? Well im done with this. I’m off the ride. Yep. Pitching Devin Williams is more important than all of us to the New York Yankees. Good luck pic.twitter.com/zrJtrCgQVd
— Keith McPherson (@Keith_McPherson) August 9, 2025
When the Yankees inked Williams to an $8.6M deal for a year, they thought he was the missing piece. But those hopes now seem misplaced.. His ERA has risen to 5.73, and his once-perfect command is nowhere to be found. Friday night versus the Astros? Another meltdown!
The extra inning immediately went sideways for Williams, who uncorked a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to score. The situation deteriorated from there, as Carlos Correa hit an RBI single, and Taylor Trammell punished a hanging changeup for a two-run homer, completing the game-changing three-run rally.
Williams had already given up a home run that tied the game in the ninth and a two-run single that put the other team up in the eighth. But still Boone gave him the pitching in the 10th. Why? The skipper clarified that post-game. “We’re kind of short down there at that point,” he said. “You get five innings out of the starter.”
Boone had limited bullpen options, with David Bednar having thrown 42 pitches two days prior and Mark Leiter Jr. pitching on both Tuesday and Wednesday. So, Williams became his ultimate choice.
Williams, however, offered no excuses for his performance, as he offered a brutally honest take on his pitching: “Not making pitches. It’s pretty simple…. I stink right now.”
As his struggles continue, the Yankees’ former pitchers are chiming in as well.
From Mo to Cone: The veteran takes on Williams’ command crisis
Mariano Rivera, one of the greatest closers in the history of the game, tried to make sense of the chaos. “Once it’s done, it’s done. Just learn from it, move on, and be confident. You have to be confident in yourself. If you’re not confident in yourself, you’re playing the wrong sport,” he said, stressing the need for a mental reset.
In the meantime, David Cone in the broadcast booth revealed Williams’ technical flaws: “He relies so much on one pitch. That he makes mistakes with that one pitch and it gets hammered because hitters have seen it more and more .” Simply put, Williams is being predictable, which has made him a less effective pitcher.
The stats clearly show how dramatically his performance has declined. This season, he has already surrendered 28 earned runs in 44 innings pitched. To put that in perspective, that total is more than the 26 earned runs he allowed across his three best All-Star seasons combined.
The good thing, however, is that Williams is not shying away from acknowledging his struggles. He admitted, “I’m not going to say [my confidence is] as high as it’s ever been… I just need to put some good ones together and get the ball rolling.”
Acknowledging the failure might be painful, but that’s the first step toward getting out of this downward spiral.
The post Yankees Radio Host Goes After Aaron Boone Amid Reluctance to Mend $8.6M Mistake appeared first on EssentiallySports.
