KANSAS CITY — Clay Holmes looked into the stands before putting his head down and marching into the New York Yankees’ dugout.
It was better than watching what was happening behind him.
The Kansas City Royals’ wild celebration was the sad trombone to the Yankees’ otherwise strong week, which ended with a 4-3 walk-off loss at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
Holmes couldn’t protect a 3-2 lead, earning his third blown save since May 20 and his fourth of the year. The righty, whose 19 saves were the third-most in baseball, surrendered a double down the left-field line to Maikel Garcia to end it after falling behind 2-0 in the count.
WALK IT OFF!!!
📺: Bally Sports | 📱: Bally Sports app pic.twitter.com/aNudCuU9FW— Bally Sports Kansas City (@BallySportsKC) June 13, 2024
The loss dropped the Yankees to 49-22, but a Baltimore Orioles defeat meant New York would stay atop the American League East by 2 1/2 games. The Yankees won three of four against the Royals, who held a three-game advantage for a wild-card spot at 40-30. They start a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday.
Manager Aaron Boone wasn’t down after the loss, which came after the Yankees were down 2-0 going into the eighth but scored three runs to take the lead, the highlight being Juan Soto’s two-out single that scored Trent Grisham for the go-ahead run.
“Great job of almost grabbing (the win),” he said, “But, hey, they’ve got a good club, too, and they just put together some good at-bats to beat us.”
Luke Weaver protected the lead with a scoreless bottom of the eighth, though he put runners on first and second with one out. Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes lasted seven innings, giving up a pair of runs, but was out-dueled by Adam Marsh, who entered the day with a 6.05 ERA but held the Yankees hitless for six innings. Cortes struck out two, walked two and gave up six hits.
To lead off the eighth inning, Anthony Rizzo clubbed his first home run since May 10, slicing K.C.’s lead to 2-1. Then with one out, Anthony Volpe’s slow grounder scored pinch runner Jahmai Jones from third base to even the score.
Perhaps the oddest moment came when Drew Waters hit a soft grounder to the right side with one out in the ninth inning. Holmes and first baseman Rizzo each appeared to converge on it, but Holmes decided to continue running to the bag. Rizzo scooped it, but his flip to Holmes was late, and a headfirst-sliding Waters was just safe.
This has happened WAY too many times this year pic.twitter.com/j1hELSVsOj
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 13, 2024
Holmes said the ball was hit “perfectly in between” where it was tough for him and Rizzo to decide who should go for it. Holmes said in retrospect he wasn’t sure if maybe he should have tried scooping it, but that it may have taken him off his straight line to first base. Soto, watching in right field, at first thought Rizzo should have charged it. But after watching a replay, he could tell that Rizzo may have been too far back and that it might have been Holmes’ ball.
“It’s just that tweener ball,” Boone said. “If Rizz comes and gets it, does he beat (Waters) back to the bag? I don’t know. From the dugout, it looked like Clay sort of had a bead on it, but it’s more of a no-man’s-land ball.”
“It’s a tough play,” Cortes said. “We do practice it a lot in spring, but somehow (there’s) always miscommunication going on just because there’s three people trying to compete. … It’s a mistake, but it’s also us as players, it’s really hard for us to determine whether we need to go after the ball or go to first base.”
Then MJ Melendez grounded out to second, Kyle Isbel hammered a line-drive single up the middle and with Melendez on third base, Garcia hammered a sinker for the game-winner.
“Bottom line is, I just need to make a better pitch there,” Holmes said.
(Photo: David Eulitt / Getty Images)
