The New York Yankees’ struggles continued Friday night as a familiar late-game collapse led to a 5-3 extra-inning loss to the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium. Reliever Devin Williams faltered in a high-leverage situation, surrendering three runs in the top of the tenth inning, handing the victory to the Yankees’ longtime rivals in the first meeting between the two clubs this season.
Entering a 2-2 game in the tenth, Williams immediately ran into trouble. A wild pitch allowed the automatic runner to advance to third base. The next batter, former Astro and current Yankee nemesis Carlos Correa, delivered a go-ahead RBI single, drawing the ire of the Bronx faithful. A few batters later, Taylor Trammell broke the game open with a two-run home run, extending Houston’s lead to 5-2. The performance drew a cascade of boos from the home crowd, underscoring a season of frustration with the high-priced reliever.
This latest implosion is part of a troubling pattern for Williams in his first year with the Yankees. After Friday’s loss, his record fell to 3-5 and his ERA swelled to 5.73, according to MLB.com. The outing was particularly concerning as manager Aaron Boone continues to show faith in Williams in crucial moments, despite having removed him from the closer role for the second time this season just earlier this week, as reported by the New York Daily News. Williams, a two-time National League Reliever of the Year with the Milwaukee Brewers, was acquired by the Yankees in a major offseason trade for Nestor Cortes Jr. but has yet to find the dominant form that earned him the nickname “The Airbender.” He is currently playing on a one-year, $8.6 million contract, per Spotrac.
The game began with an early blow from the Astros. Jose Altuve, consistently a villain in the Bronx since the 2017 sign-stealing scandal, quieted the crowd by hitting a two-run home run in the first inning off rookie starter Cam Schlittler. It was Altuve’s 20th homer of the season. Schlittler, making just his fifth major league start, recovered admirably. The right-hander did not allow another run, completing five innings while giving up seven hits and striking out three.
The Yankees’ offense, which has been inconsistent, showed life in the sixth inning. After being held in check by Astros starter Hunter Brown, who had retired 14 straight batters, New York broke through. RBI singles from Ben Rice and Aaron Judge tied the game at two apiece. However, the rally was extinguished, and the bats went quiet until the bottom of the tenth, when an RBI single from Anthony Volpe provided the Yankees’ final run, which was too little, too late.
The loss drops the third-place Yankees to 61-55 on the season. The team will look to bounce back on Saturday in the second game of the series. The day will begin with the club’s annual Old-Timers’ Day celebration, which will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 2000 World Series championship team. Following the festivities, Luis Gil is scheduled to take the mound for the Yankees against Houston’s Framber Valdez.
