The New York Mets' season just took another gut-wrenching turn. Right-hander Clay Holmes, arguably the team's most consistent pitcher this year, is sidelined indefinitely after suffering a broken right fibula when a 111 mph line drive struck him just above the foot during Friday night's Subway Series opener at Citi Field.

The scary moment came in the fourth inning when Yankees rookie Spencer Jones—who trains at the same facility in Nashville as Holmes—ripped a leadoff single back up the middle. The ball caromed past the first-base line into foul territory, prompting Mets manager Carlos Mendoza and a trainer to rush out of the dugout. Showing incredible toughness, Holmes threw two warmup pitches and stayed in the game.

What followed was nothing short of remarkable. After missing with his next six pitches, Holmes locked in, striking out two batters in a row and then getting Aaron Judge to fly out with the bases loaded to escape the inning unscathed. He pitched through the fifth, finishing with 95 pitches—26 of them after the injury—before being lifted following a one-out walk.

X-rays after the game confirmed the break, a devastating blow for a Mets team already reeling at 18-26. Holmes had been a bright spot, converting from reliever to starter after signing with New York as a free agent before the 2025 season. He entered Friday ranked third in the National League with a 1.86 ERA and had allowed no more than two runs in each of his first eight starts.

The injury adds to a crowded Mets injured list that already includes shortstop Francisco Lindor, catcher Francisco Alvarez, first baseman Jorge Polanco, center fielder Luis Robert Jr., and starting pitcher Kodai Senga, among others. For a team with high expectations, every setback feels heavier—and losing one of their most reliable arms is the toughest yet.