05/15/26 11:40:00
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05/15 23:39 CDT Mets pitcher Clay Holmes sidelined indefinitely with broken leg
after getting hit by line drive
Mets pitcher Clay Holmes sidelined indefinitely with broken leg after getting
hit by line drive
By MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Clay Holmes has a broken right leg after getting hit on the
mound by a 111 mph line drive Friday night, another devastating setback for the
New York Mets in their miserable season so far.
"It's a huge blow. He's been one of our most consistent guys that we have in
our rotation," manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Perhaps the Mets' best pitcher this year, Holmes got nailed just above the
right foot on a leadoff single in the fourth inning by New York Yankees rookie
Spencer Jones during the Subway Series opener at Citi Field.
Holmes chased after the ball as it caromed past the first-base line into foul
territory. Mendoza and an athletic trainer came out of the dugout to check on
the right-hander, who threw two warmup pitches and remained in the game.
His next six pitches were balls, but Holmes then got consecutive strikeouts and
retired Aaron Judge on a flyball with the bases loaded to finish a scoreless
inning.
Holmes was lifted following a one-out walk in the fifth. He threw 95 pitches,
including 26 while facing seven batters after getting hit by Jones' line drive.
"He said he was fine. That's the crazy part. We went out, checked him out,
threw a couple pitches, was able to finish the inning," Mendoza said. "Comes
back in and he didn't even give me a chance. He said, ?I'm good to go back
out,' and he goes back out there. Sent him for X-rays and this is what we're
dealing with now."
Mendoza said those X-rays showed a fractured right fibula that will sideline
Holmes "for a long time."
"That's the hard part to understand. He was fine, we checked him, finished the
inning, he goes back out because he feels good. And then the last pitch,
something didn't look right. He came out, I'm talking to him in the dugout,
he's like, yeah, something didn't feel right," Mendoza said.
A former Yankees reliever, Holmes has been a dependable member of the rotation
since converting to a starting role after signing a $38 million, three-year
contract with the Mets as a free agent before the 2025 season. He entered
Friday third in the National League with a 1.86 ERA.
"We all know how tough he is. He's not going to come out that easy," Mets
slugger Juan Soto said. "But whenever I saw him coming out of the game in the
next inning is when I was thinking something is wrong."
Holmes (4-4) was charged with four runs and seven hits over 4 1/3 innings in a
5-2 loss, raising his ERA to 2.39. He struck out eight and walked two.
Holmes had lasted at least five innings and permitted no more than two runs in
each of his first eight starts this season. His contract includes a $12 million
player option for 2027.
"It's tough to hear," said Jones, who called Holmes a friend and noted they
work out together during the offseason in Nashville, Tennessee. "I hit the ball
and then I saw it come back towards me. It sounded loud.
"He's a tough guy. Workhorse. Competitor. Says a lot about who he is to go back
out there again the next inning with a broken leg. It's incredible."
After opening the season with baseball's biggest payroll, the Mets dropped to
18-26. Four projected regulars are already on the injured list --- shortstop
Francisco Lindor, catcher Francisco Alvarez, first baseman Jorge Polanco and
center fielder Luis Robert Jr. --- along with ineffective starting pitcher
Kodai Senga and backups Ronny Mauricio and Jared Young.
"It's tough, man. Clay is a guy who shows up every day and is one of the
hardest workers I've ever seen in my career," said Soto, who was also teammates
with Holmes on the Yankees. "It's part of the game. We're going to support him,
we're going to be right there for him in any way that he needs us. But it just
sucks."
___
AP freelance writer Jerry Beach contributed to this report.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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