Mets starter Clay Holmes had himself a dazzling World Baseball Classic debut for Team USA on Saturday night.
While coming in relief for reigning American League Cy Young champion Tarik Skubal during the Untited States’s’ Group B game against Great Britain, Holmes, 32, threw three scoreless innings while striking out six batters.
The Mets right-hander also struck out five Great Britain hitters in a row across the fourth and fifth innings.
Saturday’s game was Holmes’ first appearance in the WBC, with the two-time All-Star previously telling reporters that he was ready to represent his country.
“I feel ready,” Holmes told reporters earlier this month, according to MLB.com. “Whether you know you’re in spring training facing a big league lineup or you’re going to face another team in the WBC, you’re trying to get outs, and you’re doing the best you can.”
After initially being held scoreless for the first four innings, Team USA erupted for five runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to take a commanding 9-1 lead.
Following Holmes, Yankees closer David Bednar came in and threw a scoreless seventh inning, striking out two.
Great Britain did start the game hot, however, with outfielder Nate Eaton taking Skubal deep on the first pitch of the game and Trayce Thompson robbing Will Smith of a homer in the second, but Team USA rolled after that.
After losing in heartbreaking fashion to Japan in the 2023 WBC, Team USA came back stronger than ever for this year’s tournament, with manager Mark DeRosa assembling a star-studded team this time around.
“Not only can we talk about players, but our coaching staff, too,” Team USA captain Aaron Judge told reporters on Monday, according to The Athletic. “We’ve got All-Stars, Silver Sluggers, World Series champs, [pitching coach Andy] Pettitte, one of the best postseason pitchers ever.
“It’s just some of the best baseball players that ever played the game in one room, so it was pretty cool to get a chance to address them and talk with them. That’s what I kind of started out with: It’s just an honor to be here in front of you and be wearing the same uniform as you guys.”
