The utter dominance of Clay Holmes and his sinker, explained by a master

Even when he didn’t pitch well last year, Zack Britton was still a ground-ball machine.

The lefty Yankees reliever finished in the top five in the majors in ground ball rate (minimum of 10 innings pitched) at 68 percent.

The pitcher who finished one spot in front of him? Clay Holmes.

“He’s almost like a right-handed version of Britton,’’ catcher Kyle Higashoka said of Holmes, who — like Britton — makes his living with a nasty sinker. “The pitch is so good, you know it’s coming most of the time and it almost doesn’t matter.”