“Hard to Believe,” Ex-Red Sox Star Surprised to See Skid of Rivals Yankees

The New York Yankees lost their fifth successive game on Tuesday as Devin Williams gave up 2 runs in the 8th inning against the Texas Rangers.

“Hard to Believe,” Ex-Red Sox Star Surprised to See Skid of Rivals Yankees

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (Image via Imago)

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The New York Yankees have fallen off the tracks in recent weeks. The Bronx Bombers, who were once 42-25 for the season, are left with a 60-54 record following another loss against the Texas Rangers. A former Boston Red Sox star expressed that it was “hard to believe” the situation they are in right now.

The reigning American League Champions started the season in strong fashion and seemed to be on track for another top finish. However, since a 1-0 win against the Kansas City Royals in mid-June, the wheels have started to come off for the team.

Since then, the Yankees have lost several games and have been swept by the Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays, and most recently by the Miami Marlins. This run of form has seen them fall from 1st to 3rd in the American League East Standings.

The defense and the bullpen of the Yankees have been a major reason for this slump in form. In some games, they have made several defensive errors, which allowed their opponents to come back and win, and in some games, their bullpen has imploded.

On Tuesday, they lost for a 5th successive time as pitcher Devin Williams struggled again. The closing pitcher, who blew the save on Monday, ended up conceding 2 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, which handed the Yankees a 2-0 loss.

Following this loss, MLB Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez made his feelings known. The former Red Sox pitcher urged the Yankees players to “strap it on” while expressing his disbelief.

It’s hard to believe that the Yankees would be at this stage at this time in the season. I imagine how NY fans are feeling right now. Strap it on boys! #mlbontbs

Pedro Martinez on X

The loss on Tuesday meant that the Yankees fell behind the Seattle Mariners in the final spot in the American League Wild Card. If the Rangers are able to complete the sweep on Wednesday, the Yankees will fall out of the playoff spots.

Aaron Boone reveals the reason to go with Devin Williams in the 8th inning

One player who has struggled heavily this season for the New York Yankees is Devin Williams. The 2-time MLB All-Star has been unable to play with his usual high standards. On Tuesday, he was credited with the loss as he gave up 2 runs in the 8th inning. After the game, manager Aaron Boone revealed the reason why he went with him.

Aaron Boone and Devin Williams
Aaron Boone and Devin Williams (Image via Imago/NBC Sports)

On Monday, Williams came under fire as he blew the save in the bottom of the 9th inning. The pitcher gave up a game-tying home run to Joc Pederson after Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval, and David Bednar had preserved a 1-run lead.

Given what had happened a day ago, many expected that the Yankees would not use Williams in this game. However, Boone surprised many and went with Williams despite the team having the option of Mark Leiter Jr., who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list.

After loading the bases with 2 walks and 1 out, Williams gave up 2 runs following a 10-pitch battle with Rowdy Tellez.

While speaking with Meredith Marakovits of YES Network, Boone expressed that he went with Williams because Leiter Jr. had not pitched in a while.

I was going to maybe go with Bednar in a four-out situation. Just shorten the game a little bit. Not a lot left down there. Leiter being in a situation where he hasn’t pitched in a while. If I could get it to a four-out scenario, I was going to do it. Felt Devin could get some swing-and-miss there, but obviously didn’t.

Aaron Boone said as per YES Network

This comment from Boone sparked more angry reactions from fans. They pointed out Boone’s decision to use Nestor Cortes last year in Game 1 of the World Series. In the first game of the Fall Classic against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boone gave the pitch to Cortes, who had not pitched in a while.

After Shohei Ohtani flew out, Cortes and the Yankees intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load up the bases in the bottom of the 10th inning. On the second pitch of Cortes, Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Dodgers a 6-3 win.

The Dodgers proceeded to win Games 2, 3, and 5 and went on to win the World Series. In December, the Yankees ended up trading Cortes in exchange for Williams.

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