Before Tuesday’s games, Yankees’ pitcher Clay Holmes led all relievers in groundball percentage, with a whopping 82.7. Not only that, but the second-ranked hurler, Neil Pallante, was over 17 points behind. When it comes to inducing groundballs, no one is in Holmes’ league. Not even close.
It would also qualify as the best groundball rate in baseball among qualified relievers since the stat was counted. Better than peak Zack Britton, if you want some historical context.
How can a pitcher coerce batters into hitting the ball on the ground so much? Well, with an incredible sinker, mostly.