"If he wants the beard, he needs to earn it"- Fans heavily criticize Devin Williams for meltdown in Yankees outing vs. Tigers

New York Yankees closer Devin Williams had another rough outing after failing to see out the 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Wednesday. He nearly blew away a four-run lead for the Yankees in the ninth inning before he was taken off the mound to complete the win against the Tigers.

Yankees fans are starting to lose their patience with Devin Williams, as he has been unable to live up to his high expectations since arriving with a lot of fanfare during the offseason. Williams is also regarded as one of the chief instigators behind the Yankees changing their no-beard policy this year.

On Wednesday, Devin Williams made his fourth appearance of the season for the New York Yankees to close out the final game of the series against the Detroit Tigers, with the team carrying a four-run lead. However, he gave up three runs before he could end the inning and was replaced by Jack Leiter Jr. for the final out.

After the game, Williams said that he's not at the peak of his powers right now, even though he's not dealing with any physical issue. He blamed rustiness at the start of the season as a factor for his poor start to the 2025 campaign.

"I haven't felt like 100% myself up to this point," he said. "Just staying focused on the next pitch, you can't go back in time. The only option is to move forward"

Meanwhile, the host of the Yankee Universe Podcast, Chris, launched a tirade against the Yankees closer on scoial media.

"Devin Williams showed up to New York, made the franchise change a 50 year old policy, and absolutely stinks," Chris wrote. "Cant make this up."

Fans responded to his comments on X.

"If he wants the beard, he needs to earn it!," one posted.

"His power came from his beard and the Yankees forced him to shave it," said another.

"The rule had to go but if you are the player that made that happen you gotta play better," feels another.

Fans expressed a wide range of thoughts in the comments.

"As a Red Sox fan this is funny as f***," said one.

"He's broken from last years playoffs," another said.

"His out pitch is a changeup. That’s not a closer that’s Tommy Kahnle," said one.

Devin Williams has only pitched 3.0 innings in his four appearances for the Yankees but has allowed five runs from as many hits, with an ERA of 12.0.

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"I'm confident this is going to be a distant memory": Yankees manager on Devin Williams's sub-par performances

Devin Williams is set to become a free agent at the end of te season (Image Source: IMAGN)

The New York Yankees manager offered his thoughts about the ongoing struggles of Devin Williams after completing their narrow win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.

Boone is confident that the 30-year-old right-hander will rediscover his old self very soon.

"I don’t think it’s far off," Boone said. "I thought we saw more velocity in there when he needed it. It’s just that next level of execution. He'll get there. Credit to (the Tigers) too for laying off a lot of tough pitches but just being more in the zone.

"I'm confident this is going to be a distant memory as we continue to move forward," Boone added. "He's not far off. Just a little better strike-throwing. Once he starts doing that and dictating counts, then you’re going to see it because his stuff is not far off. This is his fourth outing. He'll be fine, he’ll get through this. Just early part of the season."

The Yankees avoided getting swept by the Tigers in their three-game series after losing the opening two encounters. They have a 7-5 record for the new season, which puts them in second place in the American League East.