How Yankees closer Clay Holmes ended up with his new 'subtle' entrance

As Clay Holmes strolled through the Yankees’ spring training facility a few months back, he passed some hitters who were working in the batting cage.

With Chris Stapleton’s “White Horse” playing in the background, a couple of Yankees took their cuts. As they did, assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes suggested that the tune, which opens with a haunting guitar fit for a Western, could make for a powerful walk-up song.

Or, in Holmes’ case, a warm-up song.

“I like Stapleton,” the Yankees closer said. “I like the intro to that song, a little raucous riff to it. I’m like, ‘Let’s roll with it.'”

Stapleton’s track is now the central element of Holmes’ new entrance at Yankee Stadium, which also comes with a light show and some trippy scoreboard graphics.

The Yankees debuted the display on May 17 and used it again two days later, though the lights didn’t have as great an impact during Sunday’s day game.

“It was fun,” Holmes said of the first one. “Heard some rumblings about it, some players pushing for it. I didn’t know if anything was gonna be for sure or certain. I didn’t know when things were gonna happen, but it was fun running out. Obviously, after the game, the players seemed really excited. They were pumped up, so it was fun to see and just feel the energy and see the reaction.”

As Holmes mentioned, teammates wanted him to have a fancy entrance. No one deserved one more, they felt, as the righty recorded a 0.00 ERA and 13 saves over his first 20 games this season.

“We’ve been trying to talk to the right people,” Aaron Judge said. “You have a closer like we do, you gotta have something special for him. That gave all of us goosebumps. We were pretty juiced running out there in the ninth.”

Holmes said that he himself did not push for the demonstration, but he’s a “go with the flow type of guy.” When a few of his peers asked if he’d be cool with it, he didn’t push back.

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