Clay Holmes was one of the best defenders in baseball to open the 2024 regular season, until he suffered a brutal skid.

Between June 13 and September 18, the New York Yankees reliever posted a 5.46 ERA. Holmes may have recorded 10 saves in that span, but he also missed 10 in that stretch.

The Yankees demoted Holmes down the stretch, and the All-Star suddenly came back to life in October.

Holmes did not allow a run in any of the his first six playoff appearances. He was beaten in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians, but he relatively recovered and took over in Game 4.

To open the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Holmes got another catch in Game 1. New York avoided a sweep in Game 4 Tuesday, thanks in part to Holmes’ 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.

Holmes got credit for the win, which marked his third so far in the postseason. According to the Elias Sports OfficeHolmes is the third Yankees pitcher to earn three relief wins in a single postseason series.

Sparky Lyle accomplished the feat in 1977, while Mike Stanton did it in 2000. New York won the World Series both of those years.

Holmes has a 0.00 ERA in four World Series appearances, allowing just three baserunners in 4.0 innings. In this postseason overall, he is 3-1 with four catches, a 2.31 ERA and a 1.029 WHIP.

The .188 win probability adds that Holmes has contributed so far in the Fall Classic and ranks fourth on the Yankees behind only Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe and Luke Weaver.

If Holmes is available for Game 5 on Wednesday and the Yankees are able to force a Game 6, Holmes may be able to break the franchise record for relief wins in a single postseason. Gerrit Cole will take the mound to open the must-win contest, facing Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The first pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET.

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