Fans rip Aaron Boone for positive take on Devin Williams in Yankees' 4-2 loss vs. Blue Jays
New York Yankees closer Devin Williams is blowing up games down the stretch, and the fans are getting frustrated. The Yankees brought Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason, and so far, it appears the trade hasn't exactly solved the Yankees' closer problems from last season.
On Thursday, the Yankees were leading the game 2-1 entering the top of the ninth inning. Devin Williams was called for the save opportunity. However, the two-time NL Reliever of the Year allowed a two-run RBI double to Alejandro Kirk, which gave Toronto a pivotal 3-2 lead. Yankees manager Aaron Boone immediately pulled out Mark Leiter Jr., who gave up one more run to Toronto. The Yankees couldn't answer in the bottom of the ninth as they lost the game 4-2.
Despite the severe backlash, Boone chose to speak in support of Williams, who was charged with the first blown save of the season after he finished the outing, allowing three runs on two hits without retiring anyone.
This put the manager in a bad stead with the fans who had a lot of criticism for him.
"The frustrating thing is the Yankee view goes from “there is no problem” to “closer change” in one game. If they just didn’t pretend he wasn’t struggling prior the fan reaction would be less intense. But when you tell us we aren’t seeing what we are seeing and not to believe our eyes, you get even more intensity from the fans," one fan commented.
"Shut the f**k up Boone. This guy is so quick to yell at a Ump but doesn’t have the balls to hold his players accountable," another fan added.
"This guy is a total clown 🤡" one fan wrote.
Yankees manager's words of support for Williams didn't sit well with fans as they continue to hammer him on social media.
"Mark my words by the end of this week, this team will be under 500. This team would never win with Aaron Boone as a manager the players don’t fear him they don’t respect him," one fan posted.
"Omg this is so hard to listen too…Jesus," another user added.
"Devin Williams sucks. He should definitely not be the closer… not even sure I want him to pitch ever again and he should shave his beard if he stays here. I can’t believe you gave up the beard policy for him." one fan wrote.
What did Aaron Boone say about Devin Williams that riled up fans?
Devin Williams' role as a closer was brought into question after he allowed runs in the ninth inning, which eventually resulted being the primary reason why the team lost. Williams' ERA spiked to 11.25 in 10 appearances after Thursday's game.
After the game, Aaron Boone addressed reporters, speaking in support of Williams.
"We'll see," Boone said. "We'll have a talk through that stuff. This is raw right now. We want to do everything we can to get him right because we know how good he is and how valuable he's going to be for us."
Devin Williams has also started to feel low after another bad outing.
"Just nothing's working right now," Williams said. "And all I can do is continue to work and hopefully get some better results here."
After a leadoff single was allowed to George Springer in the ninth, chants of "We want Weaver!" started picking up pace. This is because Luke Weaver has a 0.00 ERA after 11 appearances, and some fans want him to take the closer role instead.