New York Yankees v Toronto Blue Jays / Vaughn Ridley/GettyImages

Two things can be true: Yankees fans were certainly spoiled over the years with Mariano Rivera, and, also, 11 blown saves for one closer is a lot of blown saves.

Clay Holmes, who has received the ball in the ninth for the Yankees this season without pause, bungled his 11th of the year on Tuesday night in Texas — because of course he did. After all, this wasn’t just a save opportunity; it was a save opportunity in a one-run game, though the final score didn’t reflect that (7-to-f***ing-4).

While there may be no joyful alternative to Holmes in the Yankees’ current bullpen, seeing as Brian Cashman solved the issue by adding a fifth-inning guy at the trade deadline in Mark Leiter Jr., the fact remains that Holmes in the closer’s role is more untenable than ever, especially when the margins are as razor-thin as they were last night.

Now, sure, the margin was that thin because of the Yankees’ own defensive incompetence in the bottom of the eighth, as well as a secondary meltdown from closer candidate Jake Cousins, but … still. Holmes’ malfeasance had many fans googling the same agonizing question:

What is Yankees closer Clay Holmes’ record in one-run saves this year?

When’s the last time Clay Holmes successfully landed the plane on a one-run save, which is an extremely normal kind of save? Glad you asked; July 31 against the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the Nestor Cortes-helmed day game after a night game. It keyed a Yankees sweep. It featured a leadoff single in the ninth off Holmes, erased by a Bryce Harper double-play grounder to end the game. It was OVER A MONTH AGO.

Since then, Holmes has entered three games with a one-run lead. He’s blown them all. The Yankees have lost two of those three contests (one was a precarious Jays game where he was called to clean up someone else’s mess, later walked off by DJ LeMahieu).

What about before July 31? Here’s the totality of Holmes’ appearances, during the 2024 season, in games where he entered holding on to a one-run advantage:

March 28, Opening Day in Houston: one scoreless inning, three hits allowed, bailed out by Juan Soto’s cannon arm
March 31, Houston: one scoreless inning, which began with back-to-back singles
April 9, vs. Miami: A perfect inning. It’s possible.
April 13, Cleveland: A well-executed inning on the tightrope. Two Ks, one hit.
April 23, vs. Oakland: A perfect inning. Miami and early-season Oakland. It’s possible.
May 29, Anaheim: Single, wild pitch, walk, double play, groundout. Just about the best you can hope for these days.
June 13, Kansas City: Walked off by the Royals, which could make a massive difference in the AL playoff race.
July 10, Tampa Bay: 1 1/3 scoreless, perfect frames to end it on the road. Trent Grisham corraled a liner to end the eighth. Surely, this did not actually happen.
July 26, Boston: He entered with runners on first and second and one out in the eighth (Luke Weaver’s mess), but still, he followed a Weaver-induced Rafael Devers flyout and a shred of positive momentum with a Wilyer Abreu game-wrecking double.
July 30, Philly: Blown save. Two-out wild pitch.
And then, of course, the July 31 save and three consecutive bungles mentioned earlier.

If someone shows you who they are over the course of a full season, believe them. Forget about the FIP.