Aug 4, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Devin Williams (38) during the game between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Yankees Reliever Can't Blame Collapse on Luck

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 6:00 PM ET

Devin Williams wasn't happy after another dismal outing, which saw his ERA balloon to 5.60. For Williams, the culprit for his disdain, where the New York Yankees were on the wrong end of another bullpen collapse, wasn't himself. It was umpire Brian Walsh who had as poor a game as an official can have.

Williams voiced his displeasure with Walsh after the loss.

"When you're making good pitches, which I was, not getting those calls really changes the course of an at-bat," Williams said. "Obviously, Correa hit the double, so I kind of had my back against the call right away, made some really good pitches to Sánchez, which [Walsh] missed two in that at-bat. But yeah, I competed, but I don't know."

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

While repeated blown calls from Walsh hurt the Yankees, this wasn't the first time Williams was at the heart of a loss. Williams has let up 19 earned runs in 16.2 IP this season in high-leverage situations. It's a drastic contrast when the game isn't so dire. In low-leverage situations, he has allowed five earned runs in 20.1 IP.

Even if Williams did feel wronged by Walsh, giving up a double against Carlos Correa set the tone for what would invariably be a disastrous inning. This was his second loss against the Astros, and he has also taken two losses against the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays. In three of these four instances, they lost ground in the division.

Just to play devil's advocate, Williams did have a case about Walsh. He blew two borderline calls on the outside corner in the at-bat against Christian Walker, which led to a walk. He suffered the same fate in the at-bat against Taylor Trammell, when two borderline pitches were called balls. Trammell walked, allowing a run to come in.

Walsh eventually ejected Williams after the reliever jawed at him over the calls he missed. His tirade continued after the game.

"It's just ridiculous to have the inning that I had and then Jazz got the bat taken out of his hands on a pitch that was a lot further from the zone than pitches I was making," Williams also said after the crushing loss to the Astros.

If Williams or anybody on the Yankees feels victimized by an official, though, they have nobody but themselves to blame. There was ample opportunity to lock this division down during the summer. They now find themselves in chase mode, which is a position they never should have been in in the first place. They will now be at the mercy of good and bad luck and are the sole reason why they're in this position in the first place.

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