Mets starter Clay Holmes suffers fractured fibula after getting clipped by comebacker during Subway Series

New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes is expected to be out for “a long time” after fracturing his fibula, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday. Holmes suffered the injury off a comebacker during the Mets’ 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees, with Mendoza confirming the injury during a postgame press conference.

At the start of the fourth inning in the Subway Series opener, Holmes got clipped in the leg off a 111 mile-per-hour comebacker from Spencer Jones, who got to first base after the infield hit.

Initially, the team said that it was Holmes’ tibia that had been fractured, but later clarified that it was his fibula. The fibula is a thinner bone that sits next to the tibia (often called the “shinbone”) in the lower leg.

At first, Holmes did not appear to be injured: He stayed in through the fourth inning, facing seven more batters in all before exiting in the fifth. Neither Holmes or the Mets realized the injury until he underwent X-rays after leaving the game, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.

Mendoza did not give a specific timetable for Holmes’ return, but said that it was “a huge blow” to the Mets’ pitching.

“He’s one of the most consistent guys that we had in that rotation,” Mendoza said. “It’s a big blow.”

Of the Mets’ starters, Holmes has been putting up the best numbers. His 1.86 ERA, across eight starts, is the lowest on the team, as is his 4-3 win record. So far this season, he has 37 strikeouts while allowing 33 hits, 18 walks and 10 runs.

On Friday, prior to the leg injury, Holmes allowed three runs in the third inning, which helped the Yankees on their way to the 5-2 win. That victory gives the Yankees the early lead in the rivalry series on the Mets’ home grass, with two more games on Saturday and Sunday.