Clay Holmes, now a Yankees pitcher, threw a sinker the first time he ever played catch. At that
time, he was only seven years old, and his fingers already felt comfortable along the seams.
Slowly, the two-seam grip would turn his pitches downward, and give him a professional career as a pitcher, if only he could hold on to it.
Holmes was one of the stars of this Yankees season, taking seven years to reach the majors, who drafted him. He struggled in the majors but didn’t just change, as he already had his separator.
Holmes, at Fenway Park on one Thursday afternoon, said “I had a lot of people saying to go with a short-arm action, to make so many big mechanical changes. Ultimately, I went against it, because I knew there was maybe a risk of losing my sinker. That’s when I really was like: ‘The sinker is going to be my ticket. I need to really figure out how to make it as good as it can be.’”
Holmes is the only pitcher in baseball who throws his fastball “at least 80 percent of the time”, as said by the New York Times, “and by fastball, of course, he means the sinking two-seamer. Even when he throws a four-seamer, which should stay straight, Holmes still sinks the ball,”
Holmes said “I don’t know. I just can’t get a ball to stay on a line.”
Then, Holmes started analyzing the movement of his sinker before his trade to the Yankees. He made sure that a device collected data from every bullpen session. He realized that he didn’t have to be so good with the pitch, as he could throw it over the plate and still get out.
Since Holmes “perfected” everything but the sinker, he no longer needs to practice it while
playing catch.
At the All-Star Game, fitting for a Yankees team with one of the best records: 61-23 through
Friday, tensions are high. If the season ends the way the Yankees want, it will likely be Holmes “on the mound at the end, a tribute to unwavering belief in a lifelong gift.”
time, he was only seven years old, and his fingers already felt comfortable along the seams.
Slowly, the two-seam grip would turn his pitches downward, and give him a professional career as a pitcher, if only he could hold on to it.
Holmes was one of the stars of this Yankees season, taking seven years to reach the majors, who drafted him. He struggled in the majors but didn’t just change, as he already had his separator.
Holmes, at Fenway Park on one Thursday afternoon, said “I had a lot of people saying to go with a short-arm action, to make so many big mechanical changes. Ultimately, I went against it, because I knew there was maybe a risk of losing my sinker. That’s when I really was like: ‘The sinker is going to be my ticket. I need to really figure out how to make it as good as it can be.’”
Holmes is the only pitcher in baseball who throws his fastball “at least 80 percent of the time”, as said by the New York Times, “and by fastball, of course, he means the sinking two-seamer. Even when he throws a four-seamer, which should stay straight, Holmes still sinks the ball,”
Holmes said “I don’t know. I just can’t get a ball to stay on a line.”
Then, Holmes started analyzing the movement of his sinker before his trade to the Yankees. He made sure that a device collected data from every bullpen session. He realized that he didn’t have to be so good with the pitch, as he could throw it over the plate and still get out.
Since Holmes “perfected” everything but the sinker, he no longer needs to practice it while
playing catch.
At the All-Star Game, fitting for a Yankees team with one of the best records: 61-23 through
Friday, tensions are high. If the season ends the way the Yankees want, it will likely be Holmes “on the mound at the end, a tribute to unwavering belief in a lifelong gift.”