Another Blown Save Raises Doubts About Yankees’ Closer

Clay Holmes may have lost more than just control of his sinker on Tuesday night—he may have also lost his grip on the Yankees' closer role.

In a game that saw the Yankees fall out of first place in the AL East for the first time in three weeks, Holmes allowed a single and two walks before Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford delivered a game-ending grand slam. The 7-4 loss was a crushing blow, and Holmes’ 11th blown save of the season—the most in the majors—has now put his position as closer under serious scrutiny.

After the game, manager Aaron Boone did not offer his usual vote of confidence when asked if a change at closer might be necessary.

“I’m not going to answer that right now when we’re raw and emotional,” Boone said. “We’ll talk through it and do what we think is the best thing.”

Holmes’ latest troubles began after Carson Kelly’s one-out single. He then walked Josh Smith on a full count and issued another walk to Marcus Semien on five pitches. Langford, after fouling off a full-count slider, crushed an 85.8 mph slider 407 feet down the left-field line to seal the Yankees’ fate. Holmes now has the most blown saves for the Yankees since Dave Righetti’s 13 in 1987.

“There’ve been times I’ve thrown well and still got beat,” Holmes admitted. “But tonight, I didn’t throw well at all. I didn’t deserve to come out on top with the way I was throwing.”

Holmes had previously blown a save on August 18 against Detroit in the Major League Baseball Little League Classic. At that time, Boone had expressed confidence in Holmes, stating, “He’s throwing the ball really well” and “right now, Clay’s the guy.”

However, despite Boone’s continued support for Holmes’ "stuff," the reliever has struggled to put away hitters with two strikes, a critical issue as the Yankees (80-59) battle Baltimore for the division lead and the best record in the American League.

“This loss is on the reliever,” Boone acknowledged. “Tonight, they got him. A lot of times when we’ve lost, it’s been soft contact, but that wasn’t the case tonight. He walked two guys, and Langford really put a charge into one.”

Boone emphasized the importance of ensuring Holmes is mentally and physically prepared moving forward. “We’ve got to make sure he’s good. He handles all this very well, and he’s tough-minded, but obviously, these have been some tough outings lately.”

Holmes, for his part, is determined to learn from the experience. “It’s definitely not my first tough one,” he said. “I just have to flush it, have a short memory, and get back to doing what I do well.”

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