NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge blow. He鈥檚 been one of our most consistent guys that we have in our rotation,鈥� manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Perhaps the Mets’ best pitcher this year, Holmes got on a leadoff single in the fourth inning by New York Yankees rookie Spencer Jones during the
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.
鈥淗e said he was fine. That鈥檚 the crazy part. We went out, checked him out, threw a couple pitches, was able to finish the inning,” Mendoza said. 鈥淐omes back in and he didn鈥檛 even give me a chance. He said, 鈥業鈥檓 good to go back out,鈥� and he goes back out there. Sent him for X-rays and this is what we鈥檙e dealing with now.鈥�
Mendoza said those X-rays showed a fractured right fibula that will sideline Holmes 鈥渇or a long time.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 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鈥檛 look right. He came out, I鈥檓 talking to him in the dugout, he鈥檚 like, yeah, something didn鈥檛 feel right,鈥� 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.
鈥淲e all know how tough he is. He鈥檚 not going to come out that easy,鈥� Mets slugger Juan Soto said. 鈥淏ut whenever I saw him coming out of the game in the next inning is when I was thinking something is wrong.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough to hear,鈥� said Jones, who called Holmes a friend and noted they work out together during the offseason in Nashville, Tennessee. 鈥淚 hit the ball and then I saw it come back towards me. It sounded loud.
鈥淗e鈥檚 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鈥檚 incredible.鈥�
After opening the season with baseball’s biggest payroll, the Mets dropped to 18-26. Four projected regulars are 鈥� shortstop Francisco Lindor, catcher Francisco Alvarez, first baseman Jorge Polanco and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. 鈥� along with ineffective starting pitcher Kodai Senga and backups Ronny Mauricio and Jared Young.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough, man. Clay is a guy who shows up every day and is one of the hardest workers I鈥檝e ever seen in my career,鈥� said Soto, who was also teammates with Holmes on the Yankees. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of the game. We鈥檙e going to support him, we鈥檙e going to be right there for him in any way that he needs us. But it just sucks.鈥�
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AP freelance writer Jerry Beach contributed to this report.
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