How Yankees’ Clay Holmes reacted to breaking one of Mariano Rivera’s records

TORONTO — Michael King feels fellow Yankees reliever Clay Holmes has been better than this 0.28 ERA indicates. He thinks that sixth-inning run that the Red Sox scored on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, the only one that Holmes has allowed all season, was bad luck.

“It was a soft-contact double that hurt him, so it shouldn’t have even been a run then,” King said Saturday after Holmes closed out a Yankees’ 4-0 win over the Blue Jays. “He probably should be scoreless all year.”

Every outing since for Holmes has been, and No. 29 in a row on Saturday made some very impressive Yankees history. The old record for most consecutive outings was 28, set in 1999 but you know who. And now the great Mariano Rivera has one fewer record.

BUY AARON JUDGE’S JERSEY HERE

Holmes is quiet and humble, but you could tell that he was felt honored breaking a Yankees record that had been held for more than two decades by the greatest reliever ever and majors’ all-time saves leader.

“Just for the fact that it’s Mariana Rivera makes it pretty special,” Holmes said. “He’s a guy I grew up watching. I think everybody did. What he’s done for this game, obviously it’s pretty amazing. So just to be in the same category for this one little thing he’s done, it’s pretty cool.”

What Holmes is doing is pretty amazing, too. By retiring all four batters that he faced on Saturday, Holmes’ scoreless inning streak is up to 32. He’s now past Rivera’s career-best 30 2/3 in 1999 and has the longest streak by a Yankees reliever since Jack Aker’s 33 in 1969.

Holmes, 29, had a career 5.57 ERA pitching 91 times for the Pirates from 2018-21. Since he joined the Yankees in a steal of a trade last July 26 for infielder prospects Diego Castillo and Hoy Park, the 6-foot-5 righty has allowed six runs over 60 innings in 55 appearances for an 0.90 ERA. He’s been so great this year that long-time star closer Aroldis Chapman will pitch as a setup reliever when he returns from Achilles tendinitis.

Jameson Taillon, the Yankees’ starter and winner in Saturday’s game, was with Pittsburgh when Holmes was there struggling with his command in his first two big-league seasons.

For Yankee tickets visit: VividSeats, Ticketmaster and StubHub

“He’s in the strike zone a lot more now,” Taillon said. “He always had really, really good stuff. I think he’s got a better idea of how to use it now. He’s one of those guys who’s always looking to get better. He came into the year with a new slider, so it doesn’t really surprise me that he’s found a way to keep getting better. But I don’t know if you can even dream of a run like this.”

Holmes’ slider is a good pitch for him, but he’s transformed into one of the game’s best relievers because he has the best hard sinker in the game.

“I remember his first outing (last year),” Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks said. “I was like, ‘Damn, he’s going to be good.’ His sinker, man, it’s literally a freaking bowling bowl! It just shoots out of his hand and he’s extremely accurate with it. So it’s nice to have him on my team.”

In Saturday’s game, Holmes replaced King in the eighth with two down and a runner on first with the Yankees ahead four runs. Four batters later, the game was over after 15 pitches from Holmes, 11 of them sinkers.

The ninth started with Holmes fanning Teoscar Hernandez on a nasty 1-2 slider away. The three others batters that he faced were all set down on sinkers.

“I was talking to Jameson watching (Holmes’) last inning,” King said. “He was facing Teoscar and I said, ‘He can go backdoor sinker here.’ Jameson said, ‘He also could go sinker in or slider away.’ Clay has four different pitches that he can get guys out on and it’s impossible to hit him.”

For two months this season, Holmes has been a modern-day Rivera. And now he has one of his records. When Holmes tied the mark saving the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the Rays last Wednesday, Rivera sent out a congratulatory message on social media.

Holmes was touched.

“Pretty cool,” he said. “Obviously just what he’s done, especially for this organization, he’s a guy that’s earned a lot of respect. Anytime he sends out a congratulation for whatever, it’s pretty meaningful.”

Holmes might have another cool experience later this summer. July 30 is Old Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium and Rivera may be there. If he is, the Yankees’ past and present great closers might get a chance to meet for the first time.

“I’m looking forward to that day,” Holmes said.

Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.