Clay Holmes' Latest Blown Save Puts New York Yankees' World Series Odds at Risk

New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes blew his 11th save of the season against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, putting his team in a tough spot with the postseason fast approaching.

Sep 2, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have had their sights set on their 28th World Series title for 15 years, and 2024 has in many ways seemed like their best opportunity to snag it.

But their loss to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night may have exposed their kryptonite yet again.

The Yankees held a comfortable 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth, at which point relief pitchers Tommy Kahnle, Jake Cousins and Tim Hill combined to let two runs score. Still, New York was up 4-3 when their All-Star closer, Clay Holmes took the mound in the bottom of the ninth.

A single and a pair of walks loaded the bases for the Rangers, and instead of working his way out of the one-out jam, Holmes gave up a walk-off grand slam to rookie center fielder Wyatt Langford.

It marked Holmes' 11th blown save of the season, and it resulted in a 7-4 defeat for New York.

Holmes' latest blown save was historic in the sense that it wasted a one-hit gem from Carlos Rodón, who struck out 11 and allowed one earned run in 6.0 innings of work. As noted by Sports Reference's Katie Sharp, Tuesday marked just the second time in Yankees franchise history that they lost a game in which their starter struck out 10-plus and allowed one or fewer hits.

Beyond that, the meltdown may be a harbinger of doom when it comes to New York's postseason outlook.

According to StatMuse Baseball, no eventual World Series champion has ever had a closer blow 10-plus saves in the regular season.

No eventual World Series champion has had a closer blow 10+ saves in the regular season. pic.twitter.com/ZOVxpwE7ZA

— StatMuse Baseball (@statmusemlb) September 4, 2024

Through June 9, Holmes was 19-for-22 in save opportunities with a 1.23 ERA and 1.227 WHIP, leading his team to a 23-7 record when he made an appearance. The Yankees have gone just 15-12 in Holmes' outings ever since, as the 31-year-old right-hander is 10-for-18 in save opportunities with a 5.61 ERA and 1.442 WHIP in that span.

Holmes' ERA and WHIP have both gone up in every season since he arrived in New York at the 2021 trade deadline. Still, he was named an All-Star for the second time earlier this summer, and he already has a career-high 29 saves under his belt.

For what it's worth, though, the pending free agent's 11 blown saves are also a career high, and only one off the 12 career blown saves he had to his name entering 2024.

If the Yankees drop their finale with the Rangers on Wednesday, it will mark their third series loss in a row, none of which came against projected playoff teams. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.

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