Yankees News: Aaron Boone Will Keep Banking on Clay Holmes to Close Despite Stumbling in 3–2 Loss to Tigers

The New York Yankees watched their game slip through their fingertips! They had a strong beginning, holding the lead against the Detroit Tigers, but things soon went haywire. Clay Holmes blew another one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and the Tigers took advantage in the 10th to win 3-2. This wasn’t just another tough loss for the Yanks—it was also rough for Holmes, given that it marked his 10th blown save of the season, adding more pressure to an already rocky year.

The talks of a change of the closer by the Yankees soon started. However, a change isn’t easy given that no one is present on the team who can handle the pressures of a closer. Also, the BABIP stats back up Holmes – he has been doing much better than last year. That’s why the outside noise doesn’t falter Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone and he is clear in his stance that he is still keeping Clay Holmes as the team’s closer.

Aaron Boone supports Clay Holmes after the blown-out save!

Aaron Boone is against changing their closer at the moment. He is more than happy with Clay Holmes and backed him up at the post-interview with Max Goodman: “Yeah. Look, we’ll see as we go. We have a lot of really good options. Clay has had some tough breaks back there that’s led to [10 blown saves] … The reality is he’s throwing the ball really well. That said, we’ve got a lot of guys that are throwing the ball well in certain situations. Right now, Clay is the guy.”

This is shocking given the way the game transpired. The New York Yankees were having a great time at the game and even held a 1-0 lead thanks to the six shutout innings from Marcus Stroman. But, everything changed and the game just slipped away from them in the ninth. Clay Holmes gave a double to Keith and a game-tying single to Jace Jung, the rookie. And before they knew it, the momentum had shifted, and their lead was gone.

For a while, the team did seem like they were making a comeback, too. They regained the lead at 2-1 when DJ LeMahieu did a leadoff single. But, the Tigers were a tough competition. McKinstry’s single and stolen base helped Meadows hit a walk-off single to left. And what really sealed the deal was Jason Dominguez’s double-clutch on his throw to home—giving the Tigers the edge they needed. The Yankees on this day couldn’t pull through! Nevertheless, Aaron Boone did wish things ended differently for them and he mentioned that he will always remember the day. 

Will the Yankees replace Clay Holmes soon?

The New York Yankees as a team have been doing so much better than last year. This year, too, they have a solid bullpen, but that doesn’t mean drama isn’t brewing. The questions of whom Boone can rely on in the playoffs have been asked repeatedly. Clay Holmes hasn’t been poor per se but 10 blown saves this season—it sure is giving the team and Yankees fans heart palpitations.

Nevertheless, right now the team and the manager both believe that with Clay Holmes it’s got to do more with Lady Luck not being on his side than his faulty gameplay. Well, if one goes solely by stats, it does back up their thinking. Right now, Holmes’s batting average on balls in play, i.e. the BABIP is at a whopping .341! This is the highest number ever since he joined the Yanks! In 2023 he was at .301 and in 2022 he was at .262 — a definite growth there. But seems like the baseball gods are testing Holmes at the moment. Presently, his only prerogative should be to build a defensive infield to back him up in the games. 

As Aaron Boone mentioned that Holmes is the closer “right now”, it did hint that maybe a change is possible later. But, at the moment, there seems to be no one better than Clay Holmes for the position. Jazz Chisolm Jr is out on injury, Torres isn’t known for his glove work, and DJ LeMahieu isn’t just the same as he was before. So Boone wasn’t all wrong in his stance.

Currently, it does seem like luck isn’t on Clay Holmes’s side. Do you think that it’s luck or is it poor gameplay? And is Holmes still their best option in the 9th inning? Let us know in the comments.