Former Pirate Holmes thriving in pinstripes
Embracing sinker has turned him into one of baseball’s best relievers
For those on the outside, it’s easy to lump Clay Holmes in with Tyler Glasnow, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton and others — pitchers who’ve improved by leaps and bounds after leaving Pittsburgh. It’s also not wrong. Compare Holmes as a Pirate and Yankee, and it’s hard to believe it’s the same guy.
Holmes, who was traded for Diego Castillo and Hoy Park in July 2021, has blossomed into one of the best relievers in baseball with the Yankees. Entering Saturday, he was he was 4-0 with a 0.36 ERA in 23 games while converting all six of his save chances. Just as impressive, hehad walked only two while striking out 26.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander potentially has unseated Aroldis Chapman as closer. Holmes’ WHIP in New York (.741) is roughly half of what it was in Pittsburgh (1.638). There was an article on CBS Sports this past week titled, “The importance of Clay Holmes moving forward.”
This for someone who had a 5.57 ERA in 91 appearances over four years with the Pirates.
“I wouldn’t say I enjoy being another guy in that narrative,” Holmes told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by phone this past week. “I wish things would have clicked a lot earlier in Pittsburgh and we would have won. But it is nice to move forward and finally pitch the way I feel like I’m capable of pitching.”
The emergence of Holmes as an elite relief option hasn’t been overly complicated. With mid-to-upper 90s velocity and a power sinker that carries a ton of movement, Holmes has finally developed confidence and control. How he’s done that has been similar to Glasnow, too.
After throwing his curveball a career-high 59.1% of the timein 2020, Holmes began using the pitch less in 2021 (just 13.4%) and has not yet thrown one this season. Instead, he’s throwing sinkers a careerhigh 78.9% of the time and pairing it with his slider.
Holmes’ previous careerhigh in sinker usage came last season when it was 58.9% — and pumped up by his late season run with the Yankees.
“Throwing my sinker more definitely helped the release point,” Holmes said. “There was a simple mindset with what the Yankees wanted me to do with it. I’m basically throwing it at one spot every time. I’m not trying to hit sides. I’m basically starting it at one target. The catcher will set up a certain way, I throw it there and trust it.”
It’s basically the inverse of Glasnow — and a situation that would probably please former pitching coach Ray Searage.The Pirates never figured out Glasnow because they insisted he throw a sinker and kept him away from the four-seam/curveball combination that worked so well.
Simplifying for Holmes meant going all-in on sinkers and avoiding what appeared to be impossible — achieving pinpoint control with the pitch.
Holmes got part of the way there with the Pirates in 2021, showing signs of breaking through and pitching to a 2.63 ERA with nine walks and 25 strikeouts through his first 26 appearances. But the Pirates’ misstep was likely reacting to the next 18 games, where Holmes’ ERA ballooned to 9.20 and he walked 16 in 14 2/3 innings.
It seemed his old troubles with wildness had returned, though it was merely a blip on the radar. When the Yankees acquired Holmes, they told him that they wanted him to throw a ton of sinkers and would use him against predominantly right-handed hitters.
Throughout his career, righties have a .581 OPS against Holmes compared to a mark of .773 for those swinging from the left side.
“When I came over, my numbers against righties were really good, a lot better than against lefties,” Holmes said. “With some of the lineups that we were facing, they were basically like, ‘We’re gonna put you in against a lot of righties, and you can trust that sinker.’ That’s where I pared it down to sinker-slider. I knew that’s how I was going
tobe successful.
“Honestly, taking the curveball away and simplifying my pitch mix, getting a similar release and trusting that I’m gonna face righties … that did something for me.”
The whole transition has been a whirlwind for Holmes, who graduated as the valedictorian of his high school class and originally planned to study civil engineering in college. He’s crazy smart, thinks a lot about things, and the pared down repertoire removed that variable from the equation.
Life in New York has certainly been an adjustment for Holmes, who lives on the Upper East Side. He loves the culture and the unique experience that is playing in New York. Ditto for the high standard that pitching for the Yankees forces him to uphold.
“I’ve really embraced it, and it’s been a good transition sofar,” Holmes said.
Shaving was definitely weird, Holmes said (the
Yankees allow no facial hair). It actually reminded him of his minor league days with the Pirates.
The transition has been further eased by Holmes sharing a clubhouse with former Pirates such as Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon, as well as having access to another sinker baller in Zack Britton.
“Coming to a team that was fighting for a playoff spot, the energy of the Yankees, it breathed some new life into me,” Holmes said. “Not that I needed motivation or anything like that, but the change of scenery was pretty good, especially when you’re sharing a locker room with guys who expect to be in the playoffs and want to be here because they want to win a World Series. I know I have the stuff to do it and help this team.”
Holmes is also self-aware enough to know that the narrative is out there. He’s yet another one who has gotten away, an electric arm who has discovered the best version of
himself since leaving Pittsburgh.
The Alabama native doesn’t think too much about the cases that have preceded him. After all, he’s been plenty busy with his new team and grasping the magnitude and pressure of his new life.
One example: Holmes said he doesn’t even have an entrance song and knows he needs to probably start thinking about that. For now, though, he’s happy to enjoy the ride and career rejuvenation.
“It’s kind of crazy,” he said. “You do hear the narrative, people leaving and doing well elsewhere. It hasn’t been one thing for me that I feel like would make for an easy answer. It’s just kind of been the perfect storm.
“A lot of things clicked at the right time, and luckily I’ve beenable to build off of it.”