Though they are crosstown-New York rivals on the field, Spencer Jones and former New York Yankees teammate Clay Holmes are friends outside the diamond.
So the news Jones was visibly shaken by the news he accidentally injured Holmes with a comebacker in the fourth inning of the Yankees’ 5-2 win over the New York Mets on Friday at Citi Field.
Jones, who was playing in only his sixth major-league game, went 2 for 4 and had his first multi-hit contest in the majors for the Yankees.
Spencer Jones Was Stunned to Find Out he Injured His Friend Clay Holmes
Holmes is eight years older than Jones, and the 6-7 outfielder was in Double-A in 2024, the most recent season in which Holmes donned pinstripes.
So when Jones lined a 111.1-mph comebacker off Holmes for an infield single to lead off the fourth inning, the whole play seemed innocuous.
Yet, when Holmes went for X-rays, he reportedly was stunned to find out he had a fractured fibula. When Jones was told by reporters that he had caused the injury, the 24-year-old was visibly shaken at the news.
“That’s the first I’ve heard of that,” Jones said. “I’m sorry. He’s a good friend of mine. We work out in Nashville together, so that’s tough to hear.”
Holmes stayed in the game for the full frame, and even into the fifth inning. He struck out a season-high eight batters over 4 1/3 innings but left after walking Jazz Chisholm Jr. — before Jones drove Chisholm in with an RBI single off Austin Warren.
“He’s a tough guy, workhorse [and] competitor as well,” Jones said. “It says a lot about him to go back out there again the next inning with a broken leg.”
Aaron Boone Had High Praise for Clay Holmes After Hearing of his Injury
Holmes had 74 saves for the Yankees from 2022-24 while ascending to closer and helping them reach the World Series in his final season in pinstripes before signing a three-year contract to become a starter with the Mets.
But Holmes had been one of the majors’ best pitchers this year. He entered play Friday with the third-best ERA in the National League — behind only Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Bryce Elder of the Atlanta Braves.
But Holmes’ season could be over. But he still has fans in the Yankees clubhouse even from across town.
“He’s obviously having a great start to the season for them,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s really made a successful transition to being a starter, so that sucks. I hate to hear that.
“I don’t know what that means from a timeline standpoint, but hopefully he can get back at some point because he’s doing a great job for them.”
Boone echoed Jones’ sentiments of Holmes’ toughness while pitching with the broken leg — and recording three of his final four outs by strikeout.
“He’s a dog,” Boone said of Holmes. “He’s a gamer. He’s physically tough, but he’s tough between the ears too.
“I could tell he was hurting, and he’s a guy that’s trying not to show it, but you could tell a- it got him good, but when he walked off I knew it didn’t look that great.”
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