Clay Holmes’ recent performance has raised concerns about his role as the New York Yankees‘ closer.
In a crucial game on Tuesday night, Holmes struggled with his control, leading to a game-ending grand slam by Texas rookie Wyatt Langford, resulting in a 7-4 defeat for the Yankees. This loss marked the Yankees’ first drop from the top of the AL East standings in three weeks.
Holmes, a two-time All-Star, has now blown 11 saves out of 40 opportunities this season, the most in Major League Baseball. His difficulties were evident as he allowed a single and issued two walks before Langford’s decisive hit.
Following a single by Carson Kelly and walks to Josh Smith and Marcus Semien, Langford hit a full-count slider from Holmes over the left-field fence, further exacerbating the Yankees’ bullpen issues. This blown save is the most for the team since Dave Righetti had 13 in 1987.
Despite previous statements of confidence in Holmes’ performance, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was non-committal about future plans for the closer role after Tuesday’s game. Boone indicated that a decision would be made after further discussions.
Holmes himself acknowledged his recent struggles, noting that his performance was not up to standard and that he needs to address what went wrong. He emphasized the importance of moving past this challenging game and focusing on improvement.
With the Yankees (80-59) in a tight battle with Baltimore for the division title and the best record in the American League, the team’s ability to secure games from their closer will be crucial in the coming weeks. Boone remains hopeful that Holmes can regain his form, but the team will need to assess its options as the season progresses.
