Yankees' Clay Holmes: Pounds strike zone during 22nd save
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Holmes earned a save against the Diamondbacks on Monday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning.
Holmes threw 13 of his 15 pitches for a strike in the outing, retiring all three batters he faced to preserve a two-run advantage. The right-hander has converted all six of his save chances in September, giving up only one earned run over 10 innings. That's a marked improvement over August, when Holmes posted a 7.84 ERA and 1.84 WHIP across 10.1 frames. Overall, he's converted 22 of 25 save opportunities while registering a 2.95 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 69:23 K:B across 61 innings.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Nabs another save
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Holmes pitched one perfect inning to secure a save during Saturday's 6-3 win over the Pirates.
After firing off a perfect ninth frame Friday night for his 20th save of 2023, Holmes delivered another clean inning Saturday for save No. 21, setting a career high in the category and besting his 2022 total. The 30-year-old has yet to allow a run in September and has locked up five saves over eight appearances.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Reaches 20 saves
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Holmes struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to pick up a save against Pittsburgh on Friday.
Holmes entered with the Yankees holding a two-run lead and needed just 10 pitches to retire the side in order. The right-hander hasn't allowed a run in any of his past eight appearances, posting an 8:3 K:BB and racking up four saves during that stretch. Holmes' save Friday was his 20th of the campaign, tying the amount he had last season in his first season as a closer.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Shaky in 19th save
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Holmes walked three batters in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his 19th save of the season in the first game of a doubleheader against the Red Sox.
The right-hander lost the plate after getting Wilyer Abreu to ground out to begin the inning, issuing three straight free passes, but a double-play grounder on his first pitch to Alex Verdugo bailed Holmes out. After going most of August without a save and posting a 7.84 ERA on the month, the right-hander is 3-for-3 on save chances in September and has yet to allow a run. Tuesday's outing was also the first time he'd walked multiple batters in an appearance since May 28, so there may not be much cause for concern with his sudden control issues.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Implodes in non-save situation
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Holmes (4-3) took the loss against the Marlins on Sunday, allowing five runs (four earned) on three hits and one walk while striking out one batter in one-third of an inning.
Holmes had been on a post-All-Star-break tear coming into Sunday, collecting eight saves in nine chances and allowing just two runs while posting an 18:3 K:BB over 15.2 frames. Yankees manager Aaron Boone thus turned to him in the ninth inning while holding a four-run lead, but things didn't go as planned. Holmes allowed a single, double, triple and walk in the frame and also contributed to his own demise with a throwing error. Luis Arraez's two-run three-bagger tied the score and resulted in Holmes getting the hook, and the righty hurler took the loss when Arraez crossed the plate after his departure. Holmes should still have a firm grasp on the closer role considering his recent run of success, but Sunday's blowup increased his season ERA from 2.01 to 2.80.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Nabs 16th save
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Holmes picked up the save in Saturday's win over the Astros, striking out one over a scoreless inning.
Holmes entered the game with a two-run lead in the ninth and got Jeremy Pena to go down swinging in the first at-bat en route to a 1-2-3 inning. The right-hander has now converted each of his last five save attempts, posting six strikeouts to only one walk over that stretch. He's also allowed just one run since June 23, lowering his season ERA to 2.06.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Locks down 15th save
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Holmes picked up the save Thursday against the Astros, working around two hits in a scoreless inning.
The Astros got the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth inning before Holmes got Jose Altuve to ground out to seal the one-run victory. The 30-year-old right-hander has converted his last five save chances, striking out five over five scoreless innings in that span. Overall, he's 15-for-18 in save opportunities this season with an impressive 2.11 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 52:16 K:BB across 42.2 innings.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Registers 14th save
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Holmes earned a save against the Mets on Wednesday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning.
Holmes had no problem protecting a two-run ninth-inning Yankees lead, throwing 11 of his 14 pitches for strikes and retiring all three batters he faced. The right-hander continues to pitch well after a shaky start to the campaign, holding the opponent scoreless in 28 of his past 31 outings. Over that span, he's posted a minuscule 0.88 ERA and 0.95 WHIP while notching a 38:11 K:BB and recording 10 saves in 11 chances across 30.2 frames.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Nabs 13th save
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Holmes picked up the save Saturday against the Royals, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning.
Holmes entered the game with a three-run lead in the ninth and got MJ Melendez to go down on strikes in the first at-bat, followed by a groundout by Michael Massey. The right-handed reliever would then allow the next two batters to reach before finally shutting the door on the Royals with a strikeout to end the game, earning his 13th save in the process. Holmes has now converted his last two save attempts and lowered his season ERA to 2.27 with Saturday's scoreless appearance.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Earns save Friday
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Holmes gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning to notch his 12th save of the year Friday versus the Royals.
Holmes gave up a leadoff single to Drew Waters in the top of the ninth, but he promptly retired Kyle Isbel, Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt to secure a 5-4 victory for the Yankees. It was a nice bounce-back effort from the 30-year-old right-hander, who blew a save last time out against the Rockies. His season ERA is down to 2.33.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Charged with blown save
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Holmes allowed a run on two hits in one-third of an inning, taking a blown save Sunday versus the Rockies.
Holmes was in a tight situation with the bases loaded and two outs following a tough outing from Tommy Kahnle. C.J. Cron hit a grand slam off Holmes in the eighth inning, handing the Yankees' top reliever his third blown save of the season. He's now at a 2.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 47:15 K:BB while going 11-for-14 in save chances and adding five holds over 37.2 innings in a general high-leverage role.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Secures 11th save
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Holmes allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Rockies.
Holmes had limited opponents to two walks and no hits over his last five outings (4.2 innings). While his hitless stretch ended, he turned in another scoreless effort. Holmes has been scored on in just six of his 39 appearances, pitching to a strong 2.17 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 47:15 K:BB over 37.1 innings. He's added 11 saves, five holds, two blown saves and a 4-2 record while serving as one of the Yankees' top high-leverage relievers.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Snags 10th save
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Holmes earned a save against the Orioles on Monday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning.
Holmes came on in the ninth frame with New York holding a three-run lead and retired all three batters he faced on 14 pitches to pick up his first save since June 20. Though three other Yankees relievers notched a save between then and Monday, Holmes remains the most likely source of ninth-inning opportunities for the team. He had some shaky outings early in the campaign but has posted an outstanding 0.74 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 31:9 K:BB over 24.1 innings since May 6.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Collects fifth hold
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Holmes struck out one while recording two outs to pick up his fifth hold of the season in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Rangers.
Wandy Peralta gave up two singles to lead off the eighth inning, forcing manager Aaron Boone to turn to his closer early to shut down the rally. Holmes did make things dicey, pushing a runner to third base with a wild pitch, but he struck out Josh Jung to end the frame. The right-hander has returned to form in June with a 1.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB through nine innings, but Boone's willingness to deploy Holmes in high-leverage spots outside the ninth will likely continue to cost him save chances -- through his nine appearances this month, he has four saves, two holds and one win.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Notches seventh save
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Holmes earned a save over the White Sox in Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader, allowing one walk in a scoreless inning.
Holmes was tasked with preserving the Yankees' combined shutout and succeeded in doing so despite issuing a leadoff walk. The righty reliever has allowed just one run over 16.1 frames across his past 16 appearances, posting a 20:8 K:BB over that span. The strong stretch has helped him reclaim the primary closer role for New York -- he's earned three of the team's last four saves after going without any saves between April 12 and May 20.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Collects fourth win
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Holmes (4-2) allowed a walk in a scoreless inning against the Dodgers on Sunday. He struck out two and earned a win.
Holmes entered the game in the seventh inning and picked up the win when the Yankees took the lead in the eighth. He's seen just two save chances over his last 16 appearances, though he's compiled a terrific 1.15 ERA during that span. For the season, his ERA is down to 2.84 and he has a 32:12 K:BB and six saves through 25.1 innings.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Logs sixth save
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Holmes picked up a save in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Dodgers after tossing a scoreless inning during which he allowed one walk.
Holmes was tasked with protecting a three-run ninth-inning lead and did so successfully despite issuing a two-out walk. He picked up his first save since May 21, though he pitched well over four contests in the interim, allowing one run on one hit while posting a 5:2 K:BB across four innings. Manager Aaron Boone has mixed and matched closers this season -- seven different relievers have earned a save thus far -- but Holmes has each of the team's past two conversions and leads New York with six saves overall, so he's probably the safest bet for ninth-inning opportunities moving forward.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Earns fifth save
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Holmes picked up the save in Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Reds, working around two hits and a walk in a scoreless inning.
The Reds loaded the bases against Holmes in the ninth, but the right-hander coaxed a groundout from Will Benson to grab his fifth save -- his first since April 12. Holmes hasn't allowed a run in his last nine outings (9.1 innings), lowering his ERA to 3.26 with a 1.45 WHIP and 25:8. K:BB through 19.1 innings this season. Holmes has certainly worked his way back into the ninth-inning picture with his recent performances. However, he'll likely continue splitting closing duties with Wandy Peralta and Michael King.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Deployed in eighth inning again
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Holmes (1-2) earned the win over Tampa Bay on Friday, allowing one hit and no runs over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one batter.
The Yankees carried a two-run lead into the eighth frame, but Michael King served up a three-run homer to Josh Lowe to cough up the advantage. With one out and one on, Holmes was summoned to try to prevent additional damage, and he was able to do so despite giving up a single to the first batter he faced. New York then took the lead back on a two-run shot by Anthony Rizzo in the bottom of the frame, lining Holmes up for his first victory of the campaign. Meanwhile, Wandy Peralta closed things out with a scoreless ninth to record his first save of the season. This was the fifth straight outing for Holmes in which he was used in a non-save situation, though he continues to see mostly high-leverage work and has allowed just one run while posting a 6:1 K:BB over four innings during that span. He may still be the most likely option for save chances in what has become an unsettled New York bullpen, but with his last save coming April 12 and four different Yankees relievers nabbing at least one save in the interim, it's clear that Holmes is more of a committee member than a full-time closer.
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Yankees' Clay Holmes: Gets eighth inning Saturday
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Holmes earned a hold against Tampa Bay on Saturday, allowing one hit in an inning of work.
After New York rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning, manager Aaron Boone turned to Holmes to face the heart of the Rays' order in the bottom of the frame. He gave up a leadoff single that was quickly erased on a double play and needed just seven pitches overall to get through the scoreless inning. However, rather than being kept in the game to go for a multi-inning save, Holmes was relieved by Ian Hamilton, who closed things out for his first career save. There was no changing of the guard here -- if anything, it was a testament to Boone's faith in Holmes that he brought him in to face the toughest part of Tampa's lineup -- but the outing was a reminder that Holmes won't always work the ninth inning. He had been struggling of late, so a positive spin is that the effective performance against MLB's top team could help the closer regain any diminished confidence.
