The New York Yankees decided to tinker with their closer’s role after Clay Holmes failed to get another save earlier this week. Reliever Luke Weaver got his first opportunity in this new nine-inning era and made the most of the moment.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone brought Weaver into the final inning on Friday with his team leading the Chicago Cubs 3-0. The ninth-year veteran allowed no runs, no hits, walked one and struck out two to secure the win for New York, earning his first career save.
“I couldn’t see straight. I was almost blacking out. It was adrenaline rushing, but it was awesome,” Weaver said of the memorable game, via MLB.com’s Brian Hock on X.
Yankees starter Luis Gil held the Cubs scoreless over six innings, allowing just one hit, and the bullpen held the lead through the seventh and eighth innings before Boone handed the ball over to Weaver.
“We just have to put it together as best we can. The thing is, we have some really good pitchers. We just have to put them in the right position, and Clay (Holmes) is one of them. So today was a good day,” Boone told reporters Brian Hoch. The Yankees manager also noted that Weaver could see more use as a closer late in the innings.
Luke Weaver started as the Yankees’ closer.
The Yankees brought Weaver back for his second season on a one-year, $2 million deal. So far in 2024, Weaver has a 3.28 ERA, a 0.973 WHIP, 81 strikeouts in 74 innings and a 126 ERA+.
The team was left without an automatic closer after Holmes missed out on his MLB-leading 11th save of the season on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers. The Yankees handed the ball to Holmes with a 4-3 lead going into the ninth inning against Texas. The seventh-year veteran allowed a hit and two walks to load the bases, but Wyatt Langford hit a walk-off grand slam to earn the win.
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Holmes made his second All-Star appearance this season. In 57 games, he was 2-5 with a 3.27 ERA, 1.327 WHIP, 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings, and an ERA+ of 128. After Holmes failed to earn his 10th save, manager Boone had promised to keep him as the team’s closer. But with the Yankees in a fierce battle with the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East, the missed opportunities were piling up. Boone felt it was time for a change.
New York seems content to experiment with different options at the closer position for now, and may even use Holmes in that role at some point, and the Yankees are also considering moving starters to the bullpen later in the season.
New York was a half-game behind the division-leading Orioles entering Friday’s play. The Yankees remain in first place in the AL wild-card standings, five games ahead of the second-place Minnesota Twins. The Yankees are 23-20 since the All-Star break and ranked fourth in the latest MLB Power Rankings.
