Clay Holmes Solid in Spring Debut, Prepares for WBC with Mets

Mets pitcher Clay Holmes, preparing for the World Baseball Classic, threw 57 pitches over 3.2 innings in his first Grapefruit League start Monday, allowing two runs on one hit, including a 431-foot two-run homer to Kazuma Okamoto on a curveball (a pitch he last threw in 2021). He walked two and struck out three. Holmes, who threw 165.2 innings as a starter last year, is using early spring to build strength and experiment with pitches, focusing on his cutter. Manager Carlos Mendoza noted his cutter stood out and was unconcerned about his WBC workload.