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There were still six outs left. Gerrit Cole had gotten the Yankees this far. He’d mostly been the equal of his status as ace of the staff, leading with his heart and his fastball across seven innings and 110 pitches. He’d gotten 21 Cleveland Guardians out. The Yankees led, 4-2. Six outs to The Bronx.
But Cole was cooked. He wasn’t going to get them. The Yankees had to get to 27 outs, one night after they stalled at 26, one night after the bullpen door — and who was available behind it — became a most improbable focal point of this American League Division Series.
One night after the Guardians had pinned the Yankees’ backs to the cold wall of winter.
This time, the bullpen door at Progressive Field opened, and out trotted Clay Holmes. On Saturday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone had declared him unavailable “unless there was an emergency.” This was news to Holmes, according to Holmes. There was some he-said/he-said. There was some pregame explaining.
“We had a good conversation about the situation last night,” Holmes said.
“I think we’re on the same page with it,” Boone said.
“I trust the people making decisions here,” Holmes said.
So here was Holmes, unwitting face of the Yankees’ most critical crisis of the year, working the bottom of the eighth. With one out, he walked Steven Kwan, unsurprising because Kwan has been a pest to everybody in this series. There were 36,728 people inside the ballpark, and they sensed a Moment.
