There isn’t a better reliever in baseball at the moment than New York Yankees righty Clay Holmes.
He may not be the most dominant by a strikeout standpoint (he is fanning 9.39 hitters per nine frames), but he is the one with the best run-prevention skills in the league, as far as relievers go.
With another scoreless outing against the Tampa Bay Rays to secure a save on Wednesday night, he made some history in the franchise.
“Clay Holmes now has 28 straight scoreless appearances. That’s tied with Mariano Rivera (1999) for the longest streak in Yankees history,” statistician Katie Sharp tweeted.
Clay Holmes now has 28 straight scoreless appearances.
That's tied with Mariano Rivera (1999) for the longest streak in Yankees history.
— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) June 16, 2022
28 straight scoreless appearances is really, really impressive.
Of course, when your name is mentioned in the same sentence as Mariano Rivera, the only unanimous Hall of Famer in baseball history, you know you are doing things right.
Holmes Is Virtually Impossible To Hit
Holmes’ power sinker and slider combination is almost impossible to square for hitters: there is just too much movement involved in both pitches, both horizontal and vertical.
The Yankees only had to surrender two virtually unheralded minor leaguers for Holmes, infielders Hoy Park and Diego Castillo.
In return, they received one of the best relievers in baseball, one who hasn’t allowed an earned run since April 9.
For the season, Holmes has an impressive 0.29 ERA in 30.2 innings.
He has only allowed a single earned run.
The Yankees have relied on him heavily, especially in the absence of key relievers Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Aroldis Chapman.
He should be recognized as one of the main reasons the Yankees have been so successful in 2022: there may not be a better option to protect a lead in MLB than Holmes.
NEXT: MLB Details Aaron Judge's Special Chase In 2022