Yanks' closer first wore pinstripes 23 years ago

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Clay Holmes was wearing a Yankees cap long before he ever entered to close out a game in pinstripes.

As an 8-year-old in Slocomb, Ala., a city of 2,094 and the self-proclaimed “home of the tomato,” Holmes had pitched and played third base for a youth baseball team that borrowed the Yankees’ nickname. Holmes’ father, Wendell, was a local pastor who also served as the team’s coach.

One day in 2001, Wendell Holmes mailed a letter to Yankee Stadium, asking if the team would donate souvenirs to the team's boys. Two boxes soon appeared on Holmes’ doorstep, containing Yankees caps with the World Series logo stitched on the side.

Now in his third full season as a Yankee, Holmes recently fielded some quick-hit questions in a Q&A:

MLB.com: How would you describe what it’s like to play for the Yankees?
Holmes: It’s the big leagues. It’s just the best of the best. The crowds are amazing; obviously at home, but even on the road. There’s a following everywhere, and so the energy in the ballpark wherever we go is just top-notch.

MLB.com: What parts of your personality make you a good fit for the closer role?
Holmes: I think I’m pretty steady. I think I know what I do well and what makes me successful when I just stay at it. I think you have to handle some of the highs and lows and just kind of stay steady through those. It helps me put the team in the best chance to win the most times.

MLB.com: Who has been the biggest influence on your career so far?
Holmes: That’s a tough one. There’s been a lot of people. I would say my parents, probably just from encouragement and what they did for me growing up and throughout the years, the Minor Leagues and the big leagues. Their encouragement and what they sacrificed to put me in a position to play the game.

MLB.com: What do you remember about your Major League debut (April 6, 2018, for the Pirates)?
Holmes: I had just flown to Indianapolis to start the Triple-A season there. There was a snowout on Opening Day, so there was a doubleheader. I got called up for that in Detroit, so I had flown to Indianapolis, my bags were still packed and I went back to the airport and flew to Detroit. It was a cool experience, getting to call my parents and show up in Detroit, seeing a big league uniform for the first time.

I made my debut when we got home to PNC Park. It was super cold and rainy against the Reds. No matter what the elements are, you’re grateful to have a uniform on and to pitch in the big leagues. It was a moment I’ll never forget, because there was a lot of hard work that went into it. Constantly trying to improve, handle adversity, and when you finally get there, it feels like a lot of those things have come to fruition.

MLB.com: Who is your closest friend on this team?
Holmes: It’s hard to name a favorite. There’s a lot of guys down in the bullpen right now; we’re all pretty close. Clarke [Schmidt] has been here for a while. One thing about this team, we all mix and mingle. It’s always a group of us.

MLB.com: Who is your funniest teammate?
Holmes: I guess I’ll have to go with Wandy [Peralta], even though he’s not here anymore. His personality and the way he was able to come across; he would talk in Spanglish, and more of it would be Spanish, but he’d still have you rolling with his personality and how outgoing he was. Some of the stuff he said, it was pretty clever, pretty witty. Once he got one person laughing, it would get everyone going.

MLB.com: How would you describe what it has it been like to play with Aaron Judge?
Holmes: He’s the definition of excellence. The way he shows up, the way he works, the talent he has and what he does for this team. The way he treats people and everything he does, it’s what people strive for. Seeing how naturally everything comes for him, it just pushes everybody to be better, and it also feels organic. It just grows on people.

MLB.com: You’re a potential free agent after this season. What are your thoughts on that topic?
Holmes: That’s one of those things where it feels like that’s a long ways away. It feels like there’s a lot that’s out of my control. When that time eventually comes, there will be some decisions. For me right now, it feels so far away. To me, it’s not worth spending too much energy on right now.

MLB.com: What do you think it would be like to win a World Series with this Yankees team?
Holmes: That’s what we all strive for and hope for. We all have this vision of how great it would be to rally the city, the fans and all that would come along with it. But I think it’s probably better than anything we can imagine. That hope and vision keeps a lot of people going here. We have a really good team. If we continue to do the things we need to do and take care of the small detail stuff, we’ll definitely be an exciting team at the end of the year.