Eyeing the 2025 World Series, the New York Yankees found themselves in a comfortable position by the start of May: First place in the AL East. Their potent offense was firing on all cylinders. But the bullpen covered the hopes with a cloud. The team’s newly acquired star closer, Devin Williams, a two-time Reliever of the Year, was struggling. This surprising downturn has raised uncomfortable questions for the Yankees’ leadership, making every late-inning situation a nail-biter.
This tension boiled over on May 5 against the San Diego Padres. The Yankees held a 3-0 lead heading into the eighth inning, a seemingly safe margin. Then, Williams entered the game, and the lead quickly evaporated. After a strikeout, he issued a walk and then allowed a single. Following another strikeout, Williams walked Luis Arraez on four pitches, leaving the bases loaded. Manager Aaron Boone had seen enough and pulled him out.
Those inherited runners scored, and the Pinstripes took a gut-wrenching 4-3 loss.
Boone spoke to the media after his latest meltdown. He admitted that Williams had struggled but provided a faint optimistic outlook. “The biggest thing, again, is just command and being ahead and not putting guys on,” Boone stated. “Stuff’s there. Stuff’s fine, and I do believe he’ll get on a roll and be lights out and dominant. But the command part of it, where the walks are getting behind in certain situations, have hurt him a little bit.”
But this effort to reassure didn’t quite land as expected.
Aaron Boone says Devin Williams’ stuff is still good, walks have just been hurting him pic.twitter.com/x3G8i9F9hj
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 6, 2025
The comments from Boone contrasted vividly with the harsh reality of Williams’ 2025 campaign. In 14 outings and just 11.2 innings, the $8.6 million reliever has a 10.03 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP. His strikeout rate has dropped to about 22.4% from a career 38.4%. Moreover, his walk rate is at an alarming 17.2%. Those numbers look grim — a darkened contrast from the “lights out and dominant” pitcher the Yankees traded for.
And well, fans are obviously not agreeing with Boone’s belief.
A credibility gap: Fans vs. Boone’s perspective
Boone’s unwavering support, while perhaps intended to build confidence, is now drawing ire. Fans are increasingly questioning if the manager is seeing the same games they are, leading to an eruption of frustration online.
But it isn’t just about one player’s slump that Yankees fans find so intolerable; it is a trend. One sarcastically summed up the situation: “Boonehead: Williams is still good BLOWS 5 CLOSE GAMES Boonehead: TRUST ME BRO.” Well, Williams, despite his past reputation, has flopped in crucial moments in the last few days, including the May 5 Padres game and the shocking blown save on April 19 against the Rays. While fans look at the lost leads, Boone looks toward the “stuff” that might eventually play – feels like a credibility gap.
That sentiment inspired another fan to use a now-common label for the Yankees manager: “Gaslight Booneham they call him..” This nickname underscores a growing feeling that Boone regularly attempts to reshape the narrative, regardless of evidence. It recalls previous occasions, such as when he described Isiah Kiner-Falefa as “one of the best defenders” in September 2022 despite clear struggles, or his explanation for Giancarlo Stanton‘s slow baserunning in August 2023, which many fans found unbelievable.
Focusing on Williams’ actual on-field results, another fan directly criticized Boone’s “stuff is there” statement: “If the stuff is not generating whiffs, maybe, just maybe, IT ISN’T GOOD.” To be honest, Williams’ strikeout rate plummeted from his 38.4% career mark to 22.4% in 2025. His famous “Airbender” changeup, which was once a swing-and-miss machine, is getting hit. The results—a 10.03 ERA—scream that the “stuff” isn’t fooling any hitters, at least, RIGHT NOW!
PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 04: Devin Williams #38 of the New York Yankees in action against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the home opener at PNC Park on April 4, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Another supporter pointed out the obvious, questioning Williams’ current role: “No really? We all can see the control problems .. he shouldn’t be pitching in high leverage situations now.” This is a direct challenge to Boone’s continued faith. With Williams’ walk rate jumping up to 17.2% combined with a WHIP of close to 2.00, deploying him when the game is on the line seems like a gamble fans are no longer willing to take. Especially after watching him not record an out in his previous outing against Toronto on the 25th.
Finally, one fan expressed their absolute lack of faith in any of Boone’s hopeful spins with dark humor: “I’m convinced you can tell Boone there’s a house on fire and he’ll tell you, ‘I think the house looks better on fire.’” This is the level of cynicism. It says that for some fans, Aaron Boone‘s assessments are so detached from reality that they’ve become almost absurd. This isn’t just about Williams. It’s about a history of questionable strategic explanations, like the ALDS Game 3 bullpen decisions in 2022.
Well, while Boone is trying to stay positive amid the uncertainty, we are not quite sure how far he can keep this up, given all the backlash and frustration. But who to blame there, anyway!
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