ARLINGTON, Texas — The New York Yankees’ bullpen nightmares continued Monday night in devastating fashion as closer Devin Williams and setup man Jake Bird surrendered late home runs in an 8-5, 10-inning loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.
Jung connected off Jake Bird for his 11th homer, a 401-foot drive to left-center after Wyatt Langford was intentionally walked with two outs. Pederson, hitting .132, tied it with a 408-foot shot off Devin Williams.
The crushing defeat marked the Yankees’ fourth consecutive loss and raised serious questions about their bullpen depth as the playoff race intensifies. New York’s record fell to 60-53, maintaining their tenuous hold on the American League’s second wild card spot while Texas crept within 1.5 games of the final playoff position.
Williams’ struggles reach crisis point
Williams has a 5.01 ERA in his first season with the Yankees after being acquired from Milwaukee in a blockbuster offseason trade. The two-time All-Star entered Monday’s game having allowed earned runs in five of his seven post-All-Star break appearances.
With Pederson’s home run, Williams’ ERA in his first season in New York inflated to 5.10. The blown save was the third of the season for Williams, a two-time All-Star and lights-out closer with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Williams had been temporarily removed from the closer role earlier this season due to struggles but reclaimed the position when Luke Weaver went on the injured list in June. His latest failure came at the worst possible time for a Yankees team desperately trying to stabilize their late-game situations.
The veteran right-hander was acquired from the Brewers in December along with $2 million in cash for pitcher Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin. The deal was meant to provide stability at the back end of the bullpen, but Williams has posted concerning numbers across 45 appearances this season.
Trade deadline additions fail to deliver
The Yankees made significant moves at the trade deadline to address their bullpen concerns, acquiring former closers David Bednar from Pittsburgh and Camilo Doval from San Francisco, along with Jake Bird from Colorado. Monday night marked the first test of the revamped unit’s ability to protect late leads.
Doval and Bednar enjoyed strong bounce-back performances after disappointing team debuts in Miami on Friday, as they recorded scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively.
However, the late-inning failures by Williams and Bird highlighted the ongoing volatility that has plagued the Yankees’ relief corps throughout the season. Bird, who came to New York with a 4.57 ERA over four seasons with Colorado, served up the game-ending blast to Josh Jung in the 10th inning.
Rangers capitalize on Yankees’ mistakes
Jung connected off Jake Bird for his 11th homer, a 401-foot drive to left-center after Wyatt Langford was intentionally walked with two outs.
The sequence began when Williams allowed a pinch-hit solo homer to Joc Pederson with one out in the ninth inning. Pederson, hitting .132, tied it with a 408-foot shot off Devin Williams. That was the first homer since May 17 for Pederson, in only his eighth game since missing two months with a right hand fracture.
Texas had trailed 5-4 entering the ninth but capitalized on the Yankees’ bullpen struggles to extend their home winning streak to seven games. The Rangers are now positioning themselves as legitimate threats in the wild card race after a disappointing 2024 campaign.
The Yankees had taken a 5-4 lead in the fourth inning when Giancarlo Stanton launched a two-run homer, his 10th of the season. All of Stanton’s home runs this year have come in his last 24 games after missing significant time due to tennis elbow injuries.
Starting pitcher struggles compound problems
Max Fried labored through five innings, surrendering four runs on eight hits and three walks while throwing 105 pitches. The left-hander now owns a 5.81 ERA across his last six starts, putting additional pressure on a bullpen that has struggled to maintain leads.
Despite the rough inning, Fried managed to complete five frames. He totaled eight hits, four earned runs, three walks, seven strikeouts and 105 pitches before turning the game over to the Yankees’ revamped bullpen.
The Yankees had multiple opportunities to extend their lead early in the game but left runners on base in crucial situations. Paul Goldschmidt’s leadoff homer in the first inning marked his first long ball since June 19, snapping a 31-game drought.
Wild card implications grow
The loss dropped the Yankees further behind in the AL East while maintaining their precarious position in the wild card race. Seattle currently holds the third wild card spot, with Texas breathing down their necks just 1.5 games behind.
With a series-opening loss recorded, the Yankees are now 60-53 on the season and have dropped four in a row. The third-place team is in possession of the American League’s second wild-card spot, while the Mariners have the third spot.
The timing couldn’t be worse for New York, which is expecting Aaron Judge to return from the injured list Tuesday. However, Judge will be limited to designated hitter duties initially, potentially forcing Stanton into a bench role despite his recent power surge.
Manager faces difficult decisions
Aaron Boone now faces critical decisions about his bullpen hierarchy with multiple closer-caliber arms available. Aaron Boone has indicated that the plan is to keep Williams as the closer, but he has already been removed from the role once this season.
The Yankees, recognizing the need for a stronger bullpen as they head toward October, bolstered their ranks at the trade deadline by acquiring David Bednar, Jake Bird, and Camilo Doval. Each of these pitchers brings valuable experience and is under team control for several more years.
The additions of Bednar and Doval provide Boone with legitimate alternatives to Williams if the struggles continue. Both newcomers have extensive closing experience and could handle the ninth-inning responsibilities moving forward.
With September approaching and playoff positioning at stake, the Yankees can ill afford continued bullpen collapses. Monday’s loss to Texas served as another painful reminder that late-game execution remains their most glaring weakness as they fight to secure a postseason berth.
The series continues Tuesday with the Yankees looking to rebound against a Rangers team that has emerged as an unexpected threat in the crowded AL wild card race.
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