During the New York Mets’ walk-off 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox, pitcher Clay Holmes crossed the 100-pitch threshold for the first time this season (and the first time in his MLB career), tossing 101 pitches over 5 2/3 innings.
In his outing, Holmes allowed four hits and one earned run, striking out three and walking three.
“It was nice to eclipse the 100-pitch mark for the first time,” Holmes told reporters after the win.
Monday’s performance capped off what has been an impressive start to Holmes’ first full season as a starter. Holmes has thrown 60.1 innings across 11 starts, nearly the same as his total for the entire 2024 season, when he logged 63 innings as a reliever.
He’s also nearing the totals he posted in 2022 (63.2 innings) and 2023 (63 innings), both of which came in bullpen roles with the Yankees.
Now with the Mets, Holmes has not only adjusted to the heavier workload but thrived in it. He owns a 5–3 record and 2.98 ERA, with a 1.24 WHIP and a .219 opponent batting average. According to Baseball Savant, Holmes has a barrel rate of 7.2% and a hard-hit rate of 42.8%, indicating a moderate level of hard contact allowed.
During his next start, Holmes is likely to surpass the inning loads from each of the past three seasons, and if he maintains his current pace, he’s projected to throw well over 170 innings by season’s end. That would mark a new career high and underscore his impressive transition from a reliever to a starter. His previous career high in innings was 136.1 innings in 2016, but he was a starter in Double-A then.
