The Yankees see a brilliant version of the former closer when they need him most

It's September 3rd and that Yankees trying to maintain a 5-4 lead over the Rangers in the middle of a hotly contested AL East race.

Clay Holmes had the bases full with just one out, but Aaron Boone opted to leave him in because the right-hander is always just one pitch away from getting a game-winning double play ball. Rookie sensation Wyatt Langford hit a grand slam that gave the Rangers the win and marked the end of Holmes' time as the New York Yankees' bottom man. Boone would demote him from the role and instead switch to Luke Weaver in the ninth inning, a move that helped them break away from the Orioles into the division late in the season.

Nobody wanted to see Clay Holmes with big leverage, but during the American League Division Series, the Yankees fell back on their controversial bullpen weapon, and he did nothing but deliver when his team needed him most.

Clay Holmes' dominant playoff series helps send the Yankees to the ALCS

Clay Holmes attacked the Royals' scrappy lineup with sinkers galore, and they scrambled to do something about it. With just one walk and three hits allowed in five innings, Holmes shut down Kansas City's lineup whenever he was brought into a game. The Yankees used him in all four games of the series, and while his 16.7% strikeout rate is not dominant, he posted a 57.1% groundball rate and threw a vicious sinker that neutralized the opponent's hitting power .

His entire season was marked by a decline in the effectiveness of his sinker, as it went from being a reliable weapon to being his most hittable pitch during the regular season. The inability to throw away batters with it made him a complete risk at high leverage, even if some of the contacts were unfortunate. Some would point out that Holmes got the luck he needed by inviting contact, and while that might be true to some extent, it doesn't change the fact that the sinker's success is crucial to his success on the mound .

There was a big increase in Stuff+ on Clay Holmes' sinker after he was removed from the closer role, with a Stuff+ of 120 on the field compared to the mediocre 99 it had previously achieved. With the pitch becoming a jigsaw again for Holmes, the Yankees have turned to him as their primary setter, and he's the perfect complement to Luke Weaver, who has become their unofficial closer.

With a sharp sinker and a pair of vicious sliders, Holmes doesn't throw a single pitch that Weaver has in his arsenal, as hitters go from a 96-98 MPH bowled-ball sinker to the same speed range with a riding fastball up in the zone. The two were flawless in their appearances this October, as both appeared in every game of the series, allowing just six runners to work across 9.1 innings.

When it's Clay Holmes' turn, the Yankees have a dynamic bullpen duo to lead a group of outstanding teams. Ian Hamilton, Tommy Kahnle, Jake Cousins, and Tim Hill are all more than capable of getting big outs and could shorten a game for a starter in trouble. Gerrit Cole's performance in Game 4 was great, but it was the only good start New York had in the first round of the playoffs. Their bullpen likely won't have Luis Gil available in a four-game series as the Yankees will likely upgrade to a four-man rotation, but the group still has a bevy of reliable pitchers.

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Credit here also goes to Aaron Boone, who had a quick hook for his pitchers and helped stop any potential bleeding during the series. When Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and even Gerrit Cole got into trouble, the Yankees didn't hesitate to pull them, allowing his excellent bullpen to shine on a big stage. Additionally, his faith in Clay Holmes paid off tremendously, as there's no telling how Games 1, 3, or 4 would have gone if the Yankees hadn't received scoreless frames from their former closer.

The Yankees need Clay Holmes to stay healthy if they want to make it all the way to the postseason, as it will be all hands on deck in this ALCS, which begins Monday. It will be either the Cleveland Guardians or the Detroit Tigers traveling to the Bronx for game one, as New York earned a chance to recover and prepare for a big series over the weekend. Since 2010, the Yankees have appeared in six different ALCS rounds, but they made it through lost each of them.

It's the longest streak in Championship Series history and the Yankees hope to end it and advance to the World Series for the first time since 2009.