05/16/26 11:05:00
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05/16 23:04 CDT Weaver's fib: Tells injured Holmes he had name written in cap
because `it just felt right to say'
Weaver's fib: Tells injured Holmes he had name written in cap because `it just
felt right to say'
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Luke Weaver told Clay Holmes a fib and was proud of it.
After escaping a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the New York Mets' 6-3 Subway
Series win over the Yankees on Saturday night, Weaver made sure to speak to the
teammate who left the previous day's loss with a broken leg.
"When I saw him I just was like: `That was in honor of you. I even had your
name written in my hat,'" Weaver recalled saying.
Only, the reliever admitted he invented that extra bit of inspiration.
"I didn't, but it just felt right to say," he told reporters. "Kids, don't lie
to your parents."
"Clay would probably be disappointed that I wasn't thinking about him out there
on the mound," Weaver added, "but the situation obviously presented itself
pretty quickly."
A night after Holmes broke his right fibula when struck by Spencer Jones'
comebacker, the Mets led 5-2 when the Yankees loaded the bases in the seventh
after rookie right fielder Carsen Benge dropped Cody Bellinger's fly ball,
allowing Aaron Judge to score.
Weaver, who left the Yankees in December for a $22 million, two-year deal with
the Mets, sprinted in from the bullpen to relieve Brooks Raley. Weaver
concentrated on "not twisting an ankle or something."
"I run in pretty fast. I just think that's more of an adrenaline spike," he
said. "but the first few steps always are unpleasant and then the ankles start
to loosen up a bit."
He struck out Amed Rosario and Trent Grisham on changeups after getting ahead
of both 0-2, then got Anthony Volpe to ground into an inning-ending forceout.
"He was pretty fired up," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Weaver's fastball averaged 96.1 mph, 1.4 mph above his season average.
"I don't think he's extra fired up. I think that's who he is. I think that's
what he brings to the table every time," said Juan Soto, who had a pair of hits
and walked twice.
Weaver went back out for the eighth, his first two-inning outing since May last
year. He ended the eighth by retiring Judge on a flyout.
"A little smirk," Weaver revealed. "I did say I would acknowledge him at the
plate. I didn't do that a few years ago, and he let me have it. But yeah, it
was a cool opportunity to finish that outing against one of the greatest we've
ever seen and one of best people you've ever known."
Fans at Citi Field were loud, especially when Judge and Soto batted.
"I enjoyed every bit of it." Soto said. "Definitely, there's some weird words
that they say out there. Most of them, I don't understand it, but, yeah, it's
really cool."
With four wins in five games, the Mets improved to 19-26 but remained last in
the NL East.
"I think tonight I wanted people to know, especially my teammates, that's what
we're capable of," Weaver said. "We could beat great teams in this league and
it just takes some fundamental baseball. It takes big moments. It takes some
mistakes that we bounce back from."
Holmes, who left the Yankees for the Mets after the 2024 season. likely will be
sidelined until at least August. Weaver doesn't feel an obligation to write
Holmes' name in his cap in the future.
"I certainly will not. That would violate a best friendship that I'm striving
for and it would just be a little too much too quick," he said. "He seems like
a guy that's got a lot of friends but not a lot of best friends, so that's
always a challenge, trying to just get something you can't have."
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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