Aaron Boone’s decision to turn to inconsistent Clay Holmes backfires and costs Yankees the win

It didn’t take long for the second-guessing to begin Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

As Aaron Boone emerged from the dugout in the ninth inning, boos quickly followed. A light but raucous crowd wanted to see Domingo German finish one of the best games he’s ever pitched, but Boone yanked the starter after a career-high 8.1 scoreless innings and just 88 pitches following a single from Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.

The Bronx cheers dissipated momentarily as German exited to a deserved ovation, but Clay Holmes’ entrance brought warranted trepidation to the ballpark. The Yankees closer inherited a 2-0 lead with two outs to go, but Boone’s decision to pull an efficient starter for a wobbly reliever predictably backfired.

Boone eyed a right-on-right matchup against Amed Rosario with a chance for a game-ending double play. Instead, the shortstop hit a tapper to the third base side of the mound. Holmes bobbled it, and Rosario reached safely.

Jose Ramirez then singled to load the bases before Josh Naylor tied the game with a base knock of his own. That sent Holmes packing as more boos erupted, and Wandy Peralta ultimately walked in the winning run in a brutal, 3-2 loss for the last place Yankees.

Afterward, Boone took responsibility for the ill-fated choice to swap German with Holmes.

“I just thought it was the right decision to do that there,” the manager said. “Obviously, it didn’t work, so ultimately, that falls on me. Domingo was great, but I wasn’t gonna let him go back around there with the tying runs coming to the plate. Especially with the Rosario matchup right there, that’s set up well for Clay.”

Boone also said that he had no hesitation turning to Holmes, who last pitched on April 26. He added that German’s susceptibility to home runs played a factor, even though Cleveland entered the game second to last in homers.

“The longball’s plagued him a little bit at times, and I just didn’t want him to be in a situation where he wasn’t gonna do anything but win that game,” Boone said. “That felt like it was the right decision to do in the moment.”

Needless to say, Boone did not make the right call, and Yankees fans ripped him for it with the team in the midst of a sorry streak.

While it’s easy to question when to remove a starter — Boone would have also been ridiculed had a Guardian taken German deep — using Holmes specifically drew the ire of critics.

The right-handed Holmes earned a ton of goodwill, the Yankees’ closing gig, and an All-Star nod when he recorded 29 straight scoreless outings last season between April 9 and June 18. With a 1.31 ERA in the first half, it looked as if the Yankees had the ninth inning covered despite Aroldis Chapman suffering the worst year of his career.

But Holmes has hardly pitched like an All-Star since July 12 of 2022. Since then, the sinkerballer owns a 5.29 ERA over 34 regular season innings. He’s also logged 31 hits, a 5.03 BB/9 ratio and five blown saves — including two in six chances this season — over that stretch.

A scoreless, eight-inning postseason debut interrupted shortcomings between the second half of the 2022 regular season and the start of the 2023 campaign, but Holmes has been inconsistent at best for a while now. Which is why Yankees fans became nervous when he took the mound Monday.

“Bottom line, I just need to be better,” Holmes, who has a 3.72 ERA this season, said after the game. “It’s a situation there where we just need to get a ground ball and make a pitch. I just didn’t get the job done.”

Despite Holmes’ struggles, the Yankees expressed confidence in the pitcher after his latest letdown. German didn’t show frustration over his blown gem or Boone’s decision, while catcher Jose Trevino called Holmes “one of the best closers in the game.”

“We believe in Clay. No matter what happens, no matter the situation, you put him out there, he’s one of the best in the game,” Trevino said. “I fully trust that, and I know the guys in this clubhouse fully trust that. I wouldn’t want anybody else out there in that moment.”

Holmes showed that he can be worthy of that praise in the first half of 2022. So what’s been the difference, particularly this season?

According to Boone, it’s a lack of “next-level command” for a guy whose No. 1 pitch is highly dependent on feel. “We gotta get him back to that,” the skipper said, though he still believes “it’s all in there.”

Holmes agreed with that assessment, noting that “When my delivery’s right, that command and feel is there.”

Lately, that hasn’t been the case. The Yankees need that to change right away, especially with high-leverage relievers like Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Loaisiga and Lou Trivino on the injured list.

“It’s just been it seems like a little inconsistent,” Holmes said. “Even times when I’ve been maybe in the zone, it’s just not maybe quite as crisp.

“It’s there. I just gotta find that consistency and just be better.”

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