Aaron Boone stands by Clay Holmes after latest blown save: 'Clay's the guy'
Clay Holmes blew his 10th save of the season on Sunday night, coughing up a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth against the Tigers before falling 3-2 in 10 innings to drop the series.
Holmes allowed two hits in the ninth, and the outing led to several Yankee fans calling for the closer to be demoted with the playoffs just six weeks way. But after the game, Aaron Boone stood by his All-Star.
“Clay was fine,” Boone said. “I thought the double the other way, probably the one flat sinker he threw where it was up and out over the plate, and he just kind of rode it the other way. Other than that, I think he was pretty sharp.
“I thought the sinker was good tonight. The slider was good. But that one there that set them up; and gave them an opportunity, and then a good at-bat by Young to find a hole. But overall, I thought he threw the ball fine.”
Holmes has blown nine saves in his last 22 chances, with an ERA of 4.80 in that span. But Boone says Holmes will be the closer moving forward, despite the outcry from large portions of the fanbase and his recent struggles.
“Yeah. Look, we’ll see as we go, we have a lot of good options,” Boone said. “Clay had had some tough breaks that’s led to that. I can think of a couple of them where we didn’t make a play and it goes on him, but it’s not really.
“The reality is, he’s throwing the ball really well. That being said, we have a lot of guys who I feel are throwing the ball really well in certain situations. But right now, Clay is the guy.”
