Clay Holmes’ night turned brutal in a hurry on Friday at Citi Field, as the Mets right-hander was forced out of the Subway Series opener after a scorching comebacker nailed his leg. The Yankees went on to a 5-2 win, and the postgame diagnosis confirmed the worst for one of the Mets’ most reliable starters: a fractured fibula that will keep him out for the foreseeable future.
How the comebacker landed
The damage came in the top of the fourth when Yankees rookie Spencer Jones ripped a liner with a 111.1-mph exit velocity that caught Holmes on his lower leg. The ball deflected into the infield, but the pitcher’s night effectively ended on contact, as seen on the Statcast clip from MLB.
Diagnosis and outlook
The Mets later announced that Holmes had suffered a fractured fibula, a development first reported by the New York Daily News. Manager Carlos Mendoza did not sugarcoat it, telling reporters that Holmes will be out “a long time,” according to theScore, making an extended stint on the injured list all but certain.
Holmes’ outing and what was lost
Before the liner, Holmes was grinding through a heavy workload. He was tagged with the loss after 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs while striking out eight and throwing 95 pitches. The outing dropped his record to 4-4 and nudged his ERA upward in the defeat, according to CBS Sports.
What the Mets must do next
The Mets have not set a timetable for Holmes’ return, opting to wait for imaging and further evaluation before making that call. Left-hander David Peterson is expected to provide bulk relief as the club reshuffles its rotation for the next game in Flushing, The Washington Post reports.
