Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
How the New York Yankees choose to deploy Clay Holmes throughout what they hope will be a long postseason run is uncertain, and the same is true for how he’ll perform in whichever role he assumes.
The 31-year-old right-hander had a career-best 30 saves this season, but he was also charged with an big league-worst 13 blown saves. Displaced as the team’s closer by Luke Weaver in September, Holmes logged just one save in the season’s final month, that in the club’s last game.
His overall numbers were solid. Over 67 appearances comprising 63 innings, the sinkerballer put up a 3.14 ERA, a 3.02 FIP, and a 25.1% strikeout rate. He also killed a lot of worms, as evidenced by a 65% groundball rate that ranked second-highest among hurlers to throw at least 50 innings, behind only Tim Hill’s 68.2%.
Inducing groundballs has been Holmes’ M.O. ever since he debuted with the Pirates in 2018. He has a career groundball rate of 66.3%, with a high-water mark of 75.8% in 2022, his first full season in pinstripes. (The veteran reliever was acquired by New York from Pittsburgh in July 2021 in exchange for Diego Castillo and Hoy Park.)
As for playoff experience, his résumé is promising. While past performance is by no means a future guarantee, Holmes has nonetheless allowed just three hits over eight innings in six postseason appearances. Given that — and his 74 saves over the past three regular seasons — the 6-foot-5 hurler is battle tested when it comes to late-inning opportunities.
Holmes talked about his signature pitch, and how his approach hasn’t changed much over the years, when the Yankees visited Fenway Park in mid-September.
David Laurila: You spent 10 years in the Pirates system before coming to New York. In terms of pitching philosophy — including what was emphasized in the development process — how different was Pittsburgh compared to here?
Clay Holmes: “I think ‘different’ is the key word. The onset of technology has happened pretty fast. To compare what you consider’ best’ and ‘right’ today to ‘best’ and ‘right’ when I was first drafted, you’re talking about two completely different atmospheres and settings in terms of where the game is.
“I think Pittsburgh did a lot of things right. There were a lot of foundationalthings to pitching that they really hammered down in their development system, things that may not necessarily produce the best results at the moment, but are foundations. Fastball command, for instance. They went about it in ways that aren’t necessarily happening now, but they were trying to develop things that big league pitchers need to have.
“Things are obviously different now. There is a lot more pitch tracking, pitch design. You know exactly which pitches play up here, and it’s more oriented around stuff, especially for relievers. You develop pitches a little differently now. The whole evaluation process is different now. So, to say that one way is right, or better… you’re comparing two different times. It’s tough to do that.”
Laurila: The Pirates were known then for prioritizing groundballs, and Gerrit Cole became more successful after he went to Houston and started elevating his fastball.
Holmes: “Yes, but what separates me is my angle and my ability to get groundballs with the movement on my fastball. Those are things they kind of taught. They were about the angle, about groundballs, managing contact, controlling your fastball. A lot of things I do now that make me successful are from things the Pirates were trying to teach. I mean, there are definitely different ways I can learn and go about it now, but the foundation that was built helps me be successful in the big leagues. I think they drafted me with the idea that I could be that type of pitcher. I always had the good downhill angle and the ability to get groundballs.”
Laurila: Not much has changed for you in that respect.
Holmes: “No. But again, there has been the onset of technology. I now have very objective, and realtime, feedback on, ‘Hey, this is what makes me good. This is how I can improve. This is how I can make my strengths better.’ The technology has basically affirmed what I did really well, and how I was doing it. Confidence comes with that.”
Laurila: Are you always throwing the same sinker?
Holmes: “Yeah. The profiles can change sometimes, though. There are some that really take off and you’re like, ‘Wow, what was that?’ I think it’s about capturing those and kind of just knowing what to do with them. I mean, not every sinker is going to be the exact same. The way you’re throwing it, how much the seams catch, how much it moves. The more you can get an understanding of what you’re doing with your best sinkers, it gives you a better chance to do it more often.”
Laurila: Are there things you can look at after a game to determine why your sinker was or wasn’t as good?
Holmes: “Yes. There are a few checkpoints. It’s kind of, ‘This is my tempo. This is my posture.’ I hold the ball a certain way, so if I go out there and they’re really good, it’s like, ‘OK, what are the things I can look for to see exactly what I was doing?’ From there I try to make it more repeatable.”
Laurila: How you’re gripping and releasing the ball is obviously important…
Holmes: “You can go look at the Edgertronic and see the way the ball is spinning coming off your hand, but that’s not something you can really manipulate. There are certain things like my load and my posture that affect where my hand is and how it’s coming off. It’s like, ‘OK, that ball was good. Man, it came off my hand perfect.’ Well, what caused that? What allowed my arm to get in the right spot? It’s really just managing those things in your delivery, making sure things are set up right so they unfold in a way that you get your best sinker more times than not.
“You can get that data as much as you want. You can get it after every outing. You can get checkups. You can say, ‘Hey, let’s compare this outing to this outing.’ From the biomechanics, you can see what was different. Again, you can find checkpoints in your delivery that you can compare. You can get an objective read on pretty much whatever you want to look at.”
Laurila: Same case with your slider?
Holmes: “Yes and no. A lot of times when the sinker is locked in, things kind of come off that. There are certain times you want to look into the slider, but I know that if my sinker is there… I mean, my delivery is built off of that. My pitch package is built around that. So, if it’s right, the other things are going to be there. My two sliders, the gyro and the sweeper, are going to act the way they’re supposed to act. Everything is going to come off of my fastball, come off of my sinker.”
