Chicago Cubs pitcher Clay Holmes looks to keep God at the center as the Cubs chase the World Series next month.
Holmes was traded from the New York Mets to the Cubs at the trade deadline last month, and when he got to Chicago, he became a starting pitcher again. Since being back in Chicago, Holmes has had seven starts, securing a 2-3 record and a 3.46 ERA.
“Between the two teams, he’s 6-7 on the year — but with a 2.85 ERA and a 2.4 wins above replacement rating, which is the highest of his career,” Sports Spectrum reported.
“It’s been a very easy transition for me,” Holmes told the Chicago Sun-Times a week ago. “Everything’s about winning. You’re in that competitive environment, and you get to focus on and do the things that you want to do. It makes showing up to work a lot of fun every day.”
Even in the midst of all of the change, Holmes remains focused on his relationship with Christ.
“My confidence, my identity, who I am and what I can do is not really tied into some title that’s given to me,” he said in 2024, per MLB.com. “Obviously it’s an honor and a great thing, but knowing who I am, knowing what I’m capable of and the pitcher I can be — the person I am — those things weren’t stripped away.”
Related: Yankees Pitcher Clay Holmes Says God was ‘At Work’ Amid Trade Last Year
When Holmes was traded to the New York Yankees two years ago, he decided to make his faith a priority.
“When you become that living sacrifice, there’s a freedom that comes with it that allows you to just display the talents and the uniqueness that God’s given you — and the identity you have in Him — in a way that’s much greater than you can do on your own,” he said on the Sports Spectrum podcast in 2023.
One passage of scripture that Holmes continuously leans on is Psalm 23.
“For me, it’s a mental thing of just learning how to rest in those things and trust that God’s brought you to a place and He’s going to continue to lead you,” he said. “You can find a lot of rest in that.”
Holmes will start tonight against the Cincinnati Reds and then will have one more opportunity before the regular season ends. As the Cubs push toward a World Series berth in October, Holmes isn’t just chasing a championship, but continuing to point to the One he knows brought him there in the first place.
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