The New York Yankees clinched a playoff spot with their 2-1 road win against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday -- no thanks to Clay Holmes. As a matter of fact, the All-Star reliever made it much more challenging than it had to be.
Holmes recorded his league-leading 13th blown save in the victory over Seattle. He surrendered a monster 390-foot home run to Mariners veteran infielder Justin Turner which knotted up the game in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Justin Turner ties it up pic.twitter.com/FmtCiYql0u
— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken2) September 19, 2024
Turner clobbered Holmes' 86-mile-per-hour hanging slider over the left field wall, squandering New York's shutout, which subsequently extended the contest. Sadly, the right-hander's struggles on the mound have been at the forefront of the Yankees' bullpen woes. Things have reached a point where his spot in the club's postseason pitching staff is far from secure.
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With October baseball on the horizon, every mistake becomes more glaring. Understandably, leashes get much shorter as the stakes continue to elevate. So, Holmes' inability to close out ballgames has developed into a noteworthy and concerning trend, especially for a team with World Series aspirations.
Earlier this month, Yankees manager Aaron Boone relinquished Holmes of the every day closer role. Since then, the Bronx Bombers have taken more of a committee approach to their game-ending specialist. If the 31-year-old stacks up performances like these between now and October, he'll be difficult to trust moving forward.
After Turner's solo blast, Holmes got yanked for Luke Weaver, who mitigated the damage. While New York prevailed in Seattle, the competition will intensify sooner rather than later. How many more chances will Boone give the seven-year pro to redeem himself?
Holding out for Holmes to right the ship could lead to New York's ultimate demise. Looking at his 2024 stats, you'd think the conversation has gotten blown out of proportion. He's 3-5 with a 3.36 ERA, 1.322 WHIP, 65 strikeouts and 29 saves. However, the numbers don't paint a complete picture here.
