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Jorge Castillo
Multiple Authors
NEW YORK — The Mets’ nightmare season continued Friday when they suffered another devastating injury during their 5-2 loss to the Yankees in their Subway Series opener.
Starting pitcher Clay Holmes, one of the few bright spots for the last-place club this season, fractured his right fibula when he was hit by a 111.1 mph comebacker off Spencer Jones’ bat in the fourth inning.
“He’s going to be down a long time,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
A team trainer, Mendoza and catcher Luis Torrens checked on Holmes after he absorbed the comebacker, but he didn’t show any obvious signs of discomfort and stayed in the game.
After a walk and an infield single, he induced a flyout from Aaron Judge to escape a bases-loaded jam. He returned to the mound for the fifth and faced two hitters, striking out Cody Bellinger and walking Jazz Chisholm Jr., before he was removed from the game with his pitch count at 95.
He finished with a season-high eight strikeouts in a season-low 4⅓ innings. He was charged with four runs — three coming in the third inning — and exited with a team-best 2.39 ERA. Only 14 qualified starters have a lower ERA in the majors.
“It’s a huge blow,” Mendoza said. “Being one of the most consistent guys that we had in that rotation. It’s a big blow.”
Friday marked the first time Holmes, a former All-Star reliever for the Yankees, faced his ex-club since signing a three-year contract with the Mets to become a starter before last season. After a brief stint as a starter with the Pittsburgh Pirates to begin his career, Holes was a steady contributor in his first year back in the role, posting a 3.53 ERA in 33 appearances (31 starts). He logged 165⅔ innings — nearly 100 more than his previous career high for a season — and avoided the injured list.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander was even better to start this season. Holmes did not yield more than two runs in any of his first eight outings before Friday. He completed six innings four times and pitched into the seventh three times — something he accomplished just twice last season. Holmes attributed the success to becoming more comfortable with the workload and routine.
“It’s tough, man. It’s tough,” Mets left fielder Juan Soto said. “Clay is a guy who shows up every day. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen in my career. He’s working every time, every moment. If you take your eyes off, he’s going to be working. It’s unbelievable what [he’s done].
“But it’s really sad, what happened to him. But it’s part of the game. We’re going to support him. We’re going to be right there for him in any kind of way that he needs us. But it just sucks.”
Now, Holmes will join a lengthy injured list that includes four starting position players — shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf), first baseman Jorge Polanco (Achilles/wrist), center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (back), and catcher Francisco Alvarez — and starter Kodai Senga (back).
“I’m sorry,” Jones said when a reporter notified him of the news after the game. “He’s a friend of mine. We work out in Nashville together. So, that’s tough to hear.”
Mendoza said the club hasn’t decided on Holmes’ replacement in the rotation. The options include veteran left-hander Sean Manaea, who has served as a long reliever this season, and calling up a pitcher from the minors. Those choices include right-handers Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger.
“We got to keep going,” Mendoza said. “That’s it. Find a way to get the job done.”
