Clay Holmes Shines in Yankees’ Postseason Game Against Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Clay Holmes played a pivotal role in the New York Yankees‘ postseason game on Wednesday night, securing four essential outs in a tension-filled match against the Kansas City Royals. His performance marks a remarkable turnaround for the right-handed pitcher, who had faced challenges earlier in the season.

“Things haven’t gone perfectly, and I can accept that,” Holmes remarked after extending his career postseason scoreless streak to 12 innings over nine appearances on Wednesday. “Sometimes it’s not perfect, and I can be limited sometimes, but I still know the pitcher I can be.”

Holmes attributes his success in high-pressure situations to the simplicity of focusing on one out at a time. “[The playoffs] allow me to take it one out at a time and treat every out as the most important out of the game,” he explained. “It simplifies things. It makes it so you’re not in your head, thinking about this lane or this batter. You’ve got to get every batter out because this out can be the most pivotal out of the game. You never know in these games. For me, that mentality simplifies things and helps me get the most out of my stuff from the get-go. It puts me on the attack.”

On Wednesday, Holmes stepped in for Clarke Schmidt with two outs in the fifth inning. After walking right-handed batter Bobby Witt Jr., he successfully forced left-handed batter Vinnie Pasquantino to fly out to center field, maintaining the tied game score. Holmes continued his effective performance by getting another left-handed hitter, MJ Melendez, to fly out to center field, ending the sixth inning.

Holmes’s appearance in the game marked the first time he pitched before the seventh inning since 2022. Despite being removed from the closer role earlier this season, indicating a struggle, Holmes displayed a marked improvement, bolstered by an uptick in the effectiveness of his sinker.

Throughout the regular season, Holmes had a 3.86 ERA and a WHIP of 1.55 over 42 innings in 45 save situations. However, in 22 non-save instances, he achieved a 1.71 ERA with a WHIP of 0.81 over 21 innings, a testament to his adaptability and resilience.

“I can still get outs and be a really good pitcher,” Holmes said. “I know the team we have here and what we’re capable of, so no matter what role it is, I want to be a part of it. I want to help. That’s helped me be resilient. I have good teammates that had my back and had confidence in me that I’d bounce back.”

Holmes’s revitalized form is a promising development for the Yankees as they aim for a prosperous playoff run, relying on his effective pitching strategy to help secure victories.