Colin Holderman bounces back from 'hardest year' to earn save as Pirates sweep Dodgers

There was a clear change in momentum in the ninth inning, as the Los Angeles Dodgers turned a blowout into a tense game when the Pittsburgh Pirates called for Colin Holderman to replace Dauri Moreta.

With one out and runners on first and second base, the Dodgers had the tying run at the plate and intentions of spoiling a three-game sweep. Holderman knew that they wanted to turn over the lineup to get back to MVPs Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

“There’s a lot of pressure on that,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He comes in, he’s got three guys to get two outs before it rolls back over to the top.”

Holderman got Hyesong Kim to fly out to left before giving up an RBI single to Miguel Rojas. Holderman struck out pinch hitter Ben Rortvedt on three pitches, getting him swinging at a sweeper for his first save since a 7-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 10, 2023.

“He made great pitches, came in and got right after them,” Kelly said. “Really proud of him in that moment. … He did a tremendous job.”

How Holderman earned his first save in two years is a testament to a turnaround in what he called “the hardest year of baseball that I’ve ever had,” one that involved stints on the injured list for a knee sprain and right thumb inflammation and struggles when he was healthy.

“Definitely needed that,” Holderman said. “It felt amazing, especially after the year we’ve had. There’s been a lot of going out there and having bad luck or things just not going right. But that one – it felt like everything was clicking. I wish I didn’t allow that single to Rojas and give up one of Moreta’s runs, but we got the job done. And that’s all you can ask for.”

Holderman’s confidence was shaken late last season, when he allowed eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and three walks with one strikeout to blow leads at Houston and against Arizona and take losses against Arizona and San Diego in an eight-day stretch from July 31 and Aug. 7.

This season, he dealt with a right knee sprain in April and right thumb tenosynovitis in June, both of which affected his performance. Holderman had a 9.00 ERA and 2.07 WHIP with as many walks (11) as strikeouts at the time he was placed on the 15-day injured list, and he remained at Triple-A Indianapolis after his rehabilitation assignment. He was 1-1 with a 5.51 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 16 appearances there before his Aug. 15 recall.

“I went through a couple weeks stretch last year where I gave up a good bit of runs, but overall had a great year,” Holderman said. “I thought that would be the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through, but this year I think it’s the health. Some unlucky bounces, too. It’s definitely made me work on my mentality and just how bad do I want it. I’ve been there every day putting in the work, and it’s nice to see some success. I definitely think it’s going to help me in my career, just getting through this, I know that I can get through anything.”