Clay Holmes was removed from the closer role after blowing a save in Texas, and the Yankees haven’t looked back since then. Luke Weaver has become the strikeout machine New York desperately needed in the closer role, but they’ve emphasized that Holmes would remain a high-leverage option. The right-hander has had a turbulent season, and the Yankees have spent all summer trying to get him back to his All-Star form. Down a run in Game 1 of the ALDS, Aaron Boone called on Clay Holmes to hold the Royals at five runs, and he was able to record 1.2 innings of flawless baseball.
The viability of his sinker had been a question all year, but after a sudden uptick in Stuff+ on the pitch, he could be the key to the Yankees going on a deep playoff run.
How Clay Holmes Could Elevate the Yankees’ Bullpen Even Further
It wasn’t that long ago when Clay Holmes was everyone’s favorite reliever and had earned the unwavering trust of Yankees fans. The right-hander has had an odd tenure with the Bronx Bombers, being acquired as a no-name reliever whom Pittsburgh tossed away like damaged goods. The Yankees saw greater things for Holmes, and he reached heights that seemed inconceivable when they initially acquired his services.
Regardless of this year’s outcome, Holmes will hit the free-agent market and will likely make some good money, but his performance on the mound didn’t help his case. Holmes blew 13 saves, the most by any reliever in baseball this season, but the Yankees have yet to call it quits on him in October. Last night’s performance was massive, there was no room for error and he held the Royals’ offense down, giving the Yankees a chance to mount a comeback and win Game 1 at home.
It wasn’t a dominant performance, but it was vintage Clay Holmes as he tossed 13 pitches to get five outs, with 11 being his improved sinker. Out of seemingly nowhere, he’s found the sinker shape we saw in previous years with the Yankees, as the Stuff+ on the pitch shot up to 120 after moving out of the closer role. Even if the breaking balls aren’t on, if Holmes is able to reliably throw his sinkers and get outs, this bullpen could truly become lethal.
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The Yankees have been able to trim the fat off of their roster as they’ve shrunk their pitching staff to just 11 pitchers, and each arm brings something different to the table. Whether it’s Tim Hill’s submarine sinker, Ian Hamilton’s slambio, or Jake Cousins’ wicked slider, they all have distinct movement profiles that allow them to have success. Clay Holmes is on when he’s able to power sinkers in-zone and get whiffs or groundballs, and if he’s able to establish that pitch it makes his secondaries even better.
Since becoming moved out of the closer role, batters have slashed .174/.231/.217 against Clay Holmes’ sinker with a .203 wOBA and .260 xwOBA. Batters haven’t been able to generate the solid contact we’ve seen all year against his fastball, and that’s exciting news for the New York Yankees. If Holmes is on, the Yankees are going to have a devastating bullpen that can reliably hold leads and nail down winnable games for the team even when they’re struggling in other departments.
In a game where the Yankees went 2-13 with RISP and got just five subpar innings from Gerrit Cole, they were able to walk away with a 6-5 win and take a 1-0 lead in the ALDS. Alex Verdugo and Austin Wells had huge hits, but they’re for naught if the bullpen didn’t stop the bleeding in the sixth inning. It was Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, and Luke Weaver all getting the ball and making sure that the Yankees would only need to get two runs to win the game.
Just a few weeks ago against these very same Royals, Clay Holmes received his 12th blown save of the season when he allowed the Royals to get a run on the board and tie the game in the seventh. This time? He used their aggression against them and got quick outs. The recipe for Holmes has shades of what we first saw when the Yankees traded for him; pound the zone with sinkers and force batters to make bad swing decisions.
It’s a simple but effective strategy when that sinker is on, and while it may not result in high strikeout rates, it will result in clean innings. There’s a good chance that Clay Holmes never pitches for the Yankees again after this October, and it would be poetic for him to return to form and guide this team to a title with clutch late-game outings.