Clay Holmes throws his sinker 80 percent of the time, turning to his slider in the rare event that he doesn’t use that trademark sinker.
So, opposing hitters likely know what’s coming, but since Holmes arrived in New York, they haven’t been able to hit it. What makes the pitch so nasty?
“I mean, have you seen it?” manager Aaron Boone said after Wednesday’s win over the Orioles. “That’s why. He throws it in the zone, there’s not many that rival that, especially when you consider the velocity, the movement, down and side to side.”
Holmes’ hard sinker comes in at an average of 96 mph, and the downward movement has led to a ground ball rate of over 80 percent. He was showing it off again on Wednesday, turning in two innings and earning the save while allowing just one hit, having still not allowed an earned run since his first appearance of the season.
Now with a better slider to pair with that sinker, Holmes has become a potent weapon for the Yanks in the bullpen. But it all comes back to that sinker.
“That’s one of the nastiest pitches in baseball,” Boone said.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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