The New York Mets made a bold decision to not only sign Clay Holmes after his ups and downs as a member of the New York Yankees, but convert him into a starting pitcher. He had been a mostly high-end late-game reliever with the Yankees, but hadn't made a start at the MLB level since 2018, his rookie year with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Holmes showed some flashes of brilliance in his first two starts, but failed to even get through five innings in both appearances. He was able to do so in his home debut in what turned out to be a wild start that both Mets and Yankees fans could get behind.
The final line turned out to be one Yankees fans might dub a regular Clay Holmes outing.
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Clay Holmes' recent Mets start is one both Mets and Yankees fans can get behind
The final line for Clay Holmes today against the Marlins: pic.twitter.com/gZGRiHOjmw
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 8, 2025
His final line turned out to be a complicated one to evaluate, to say the least. Holmes was able to pitch into the sixth inning for the first time this season, and set a career-high with 10 strikeouts. Those are two positives Mets fans can take with them. Holmes also wound up allowing four runs and walked three against a subpar Miami Marlins offense. Those are positives Yankees fans can take from this outing.
To be completely honest, Holmes pitched better than his line would suggest. Striking out 10 batters in brutal conditions is pretty impressive. At one point, he fanned seven of nine batters he faced. He did issue three walks, but two of them came in the first inning when he was still getting settled in. He did allow two runs in the first inning, but the two hits he allowed that inning were both hit very softly.
While he might've pitched better than the final line would indicate, all that really matters are the results, and the results from this game were one Yankees fans had become accustomed to. Holmes pitched better than his 13-blown saves might have suggested last season, but all that mattered was the fact that he blew those saves.
Holmes, in many ways, was in fact dominant. Strikeouts and soft contact aren't the be-all and end-all, though. He did allow four runs against a putrid Marlins team. The totality of this performance gave both New York fanbases something to hang their hats on, fair or not.