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ARLINGTON, Texas — Clay Holmes lost the feel for his sinker, his control and perhaps his job as the New York Yankees closer.

The two-time All-Star gave up a single and two walks before Texas rookie Wyatt Langford hit a game-ending grand slam in a 7-4 loss Tuesday night that dropped the Yankees out of first place in the AL East for the first time in three weeks.

Holmes has blown a major league-high 11 saves in 40 chances, and manager Aaron Boone did not voice his usual support after the game when asked whether he would consider changing closers.

“I’m not going to answer that right now when we’re raw and emotional,” Boone said. “We’ll talk through it and do what we think is the best thing.”

After Carson Kelly‘s one-out single, Holmes missed on a full-count slider to walk Josh Smith, and Marcus Semien walked on five pitches. Langford fouled off a full-count slider to stay alive before hitting a hanging 85.8 mph slider 407 down the left-field line. Holmes’ blown saves are the most for the Yankees since Dave Righetti’s 13 in 1987.

“There’s been times I feel like I’ve thrown well, I’ve gotten beat,” Holmes said. “Honestly, tonight was one of those I didn’t throw very well, and wasn’t very good at all and didn’t deserve to come out on top there the way I was throwing.’

Holmes had last blown a save Aug. 18 against Detroit in the Major League Baseball Little League Classic. Boone said that night “he’s throwing the ball really well” and added “but right now, Clay’s the guy.”

Though the manager said again Tuesday the “stuff’s there” and Holmes has been throwing the ball well, Holmes has been having trouble putting batters away with two strikes.

This loss was all on the reliever, and it comes at a time when the Yankees (80-59) are in the tight race with Baltimore for the division lead and the American League’s best record.

“Tonight they got him. A lot of the times where we’ve lost out there, it’s been, you know, soft contact,” Boone said. “Obviously that wasn’t the case tonight, walked two guys and, obviously, Langford put a real charge into one.

“We got to make sure he’s good. … I think he handles all this very well, and he’s tough-minded for it. But obviously, you know, some tough ones here of late.”

As for Holmes, he said he just has to evaluate what went wrong and what he can do better.

“It’s definitely not my first tough one,” he said. “So, I think just really you’ve got to flush it, have a short memory and get back to what we do well.”

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Rich Rod bans Mountaineers from TikTok dancing

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Rich Rod bans Mountaineers from TikTok dancing

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, like all football coaches, wants his players to show up on time, work hard and play their best.

Oh, and another thing: Don’t dance on TikTok.

“They’re going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,” he said Monday. “I’m just banning them from dancing on it. It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you’re in there in your tights dancing on TikTok, ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.”

Making TikTok dance videos is a popular activity among high school- and college-age users of the social media platform. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Boise State star Ashton Jeanty and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola are among college football players who have posted dance videos.

Rodriguez is beginning his second stint as Mountaineers coach. He said he has talked to his players about the tendency in society to emphasize the individual rather than the team and that banning TikTok dancing is something he can do to put the focus where he thinks it belongs.

“I’m allowed to do that. I can have rules,” he said. “Twenty years from now, if they want to be sitting in their pajamas in the basement eating Cheetos and watching TikTok or whatever the hell, they can go at it, smoking cannabis, whatever. Knock yourself out.”

As for now, he said: “I hope our focus can be on winning football games. How about let’s win the football game and not worry about winning the TikTok?”

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Battle, DB star at USC and former Jet, dies at 78

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Battle, DB star at USC and former Jet, dies at 78

LOS ANGELES — Mike Battle, an All-American defensive back and a member of USC‘s 1967 national championship team who later played two seasons for the New York Jets, has died. He was 78.

He died of natural causes on March 6 in Nellysford, Virginia, the school said Tuesday.

In 1967, Battle led a USC defense that allowed only 87 points all season. The Trojans were 26-6-1 and won three conference titles during his three-year career. Battle played in the 1967, 1968 and 1969 Rose Bowl games, all won by the Trojans.

Battle was USC’s annual punt return leader in each of his three seasons and still owns the school record for most punts returned in a season. He was the NCAA statistical champion in 1967, when he had 49 returns for 608 yards, a 12.4-yard average. He also holds the school mark for most punts returned, with 99 during his three years.

He was chosen in the 12th round of the 1969 NFL draft by the Jets and played for two seasons in 1969 and 1970.

Battle appeared in the 1970 film “C.C. and Company,” a biker film starring Jets teammate Joe Namath and actor Ann-Margret.

He is survived by his wife Laura and children Christian Michael, Hunter, Frank, Michael, Kathleen, Murphy and Annie.

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Stars forward Hintz out a week with facial injury

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Stars forward Hintz out a week with facial injury

Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz will be sidelined for a week with a facial injury but avoided a fracture.

General manager Jim Nill said Tuesday that Hintz has to keep his heart rate down for 5-7 days to avoid pressure or swelling.

Hintz, 28, was struck in the face by a puck midway through the second period in Saturday’s 5-4 loss at Edmonton. He did not return.

Hintz is tied for second on the Stars in goals (25) and is fourth in points (52) through 59 games this season.

He has 362 points (172 goals, 190 assists) in 451 career games in seven NHL seasons. Dallas drafted him in the second round in 2015.

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