DUNEDIN, Fla. — Clay Holmes plans to make one more start in Mets camp before he begins his next spring challenge: the World Baseball Classic.
The right-hander first talked about participating in the tournament last year after Andy Pettitte, Team USA’s pitching coach, contacted him.
“He said he wanted me to be a part of the team, and I’m honored to get an opportunity to do this,” Holmes said after making his first Grapefruit League start Monday. “I think the world of Andy. Someone like him believing in me and being in my corner and wanting me to be part of the team was special and meant something.”
It’s another step in Holmes’ career.
It was just a year ago that he entered spring training dealing with questions about whether he’d be able to be successful as a starter after breaking out as a reliever with the Yankees, where he’d met Pettitte.
Holmes ended up throwing 165 ²/₃ innings, only three fewer than team leader David Peterson.
“I knew last year a cloud followed me,” Holmes said. “ ‘How many innings can you throw?’ I never doubted myself. It’s nice to know I’m capable of it, [but] it doesn’t make it any easier this year. I just have something to build on.”
Holmes’ 2025 wasn’t totally smooth.
After putting up a 2.99 ERA over his first 17 starts, he pitched to a 4.52 ERA over his final 14 starts — excluding two September relief appearances.
This year, Holmes is again a full-time starter, and he’s adding to his workload with the WBC.
Before the right-hander made his first start of the spring against Toronto at TD Ballpark, Carlos Mendoza sounded unconcerned about Holmes pitching too much.
“He’s a guy that takes very little time off from throwing,” the Mets manager said. “We’re not doing anything different.”
Holmes’ inclusion in the WBC won’t impact anything, according to Mendoza.
“It’s basically the same progression as last year,” Mendoza said. “The WBC has nothing to do with it. It’s a credit to him. He’s so meticulous about his preparation and offseason training.”
Holmes allowed just one hit in 3 ²/₃ innings in a 4-3 win, but that hit was a two-run, 431-foot homer to dead center by Kazuma Okamoto off a curveball that Holmes left up.
Okamoto, who signed with Toronto this offseason, will play for Team Japan in the WBC.
Holmes joked that he might be able to use the bad pitch to his advantage next month.
“Maybe he’ll go back to his Japanese teammates and say, ‘He throws a big curveball to right-handers,’ ’’ Holmes said.
Holmes walked two and struck out three over a 57-pitch outing.
“He’s a big part of our rotation,” Mendoza said. “He was super-consistent for us last year, and it wasn’t easy making that transition. People were talking [about] innings limits and things like that, and we never put a limit on him. It’s Year 2, and he continues to be a big part of our rotation.”
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