New York Mets Hurler to Make Team History Not Seen in 17 Years on Opening Day.
Clay Holmes, signed to a three-year contract this offseason, will make his Mets’ debut when the team travels to Houston to take on the Astros.
The New York Mets, fresh off getting to the National League Championship Series in 2024, will open up the regular season on March 27 at the Houston Astros.
The Astros won the American League West a season ago, making this an early-season battle of playoff teams.
Clay Holmes will start the opener for the Mets after signing a three-year deal this offseason. The team likely would have given the ball to Sean Manaea, but he is injured and will miss Opening Day.
With the start, Holmes will make history for the Mets not seen in the last 17 years, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
Holmes will be the first starting pitcher to make his Mets debut on Opening Day since Johan Santana in 2
Being paired with Santana in any history is a good thing, as he’s one of the most decorated pitchers of the 2000s.
The 46-year-old spent 12 years in the big leagues with the Minnesota Twins and the Mets. In eight years with Minnesota, he went 93-44, posting a 3.22 ERA. He won 139 games overall in his career, also tossing a no-hitter with New York.
He was a four-time All-Star and a two-time Cy Young winner, both of which came with Minnesota, in 2004 and 2006. He earned MVP votes in two different seasons in Minnesota and also won a Gold Glove in 2007. He led baseball in ERA (2.53) with the Mets in 2008.
The 31-year-old Holmes is heading into his eighth season in the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Yankees and Mets. He went 3-5 with a 3.14 ERA last year, appearing in 67 games, saving 30 of them, as the Yankees got to the World Series. He made the All-Star Game for the second time in three years, but he was demoted out of his closer’s role at the end of the season, with Luke Weaver ascending into the position for the playoffs.
Lifetime, Holmes is a 24-22 with a 3.71 ERA. He’s not the only pitcher to convert from reliever to starter in the last year or so, with Garrett Crochet, Reynaldo Lopez and Jordan Hicks all making the switch as well
