Yankees Fume at MLB for Mishandling Caballero's Pitch Timer Issue

WHO:

MLB.com - Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed his opinion about José Caballero before acquiring him, stating, “I didn’t like him,” with a smile and chuckle.

NY Post - José Caballero, Yankees manager Aaron Boone, Yankees hitting coach James Rowson, Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana, home-plate umpire Quinn Wolcott, second-base umpire Adrian Johnson, Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, Pirates third baseman Nick Gonzales, Pirates shortstop Jacob Gonzalez, Yankees player Ben Rice.

WHAT:

AP News - MLB adopted the pitch clock for the 2023 season, which has been 15 seconds with no runners and 18 seconds with runners since 2024.

ESPN - Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated, "It's embarrassing," regarding MLB's failure to inform the Yankees of the change in enforcement regarding Caballero's routine.

MLB.com - Gerrit Cole recorded 11 strikeouts in a game against the Pirates, marking the second time this season he achieved double-digit strikeouts, with the first being on May 27 at Kansas City.

MLB.com - Cole generated 21 swings and misses, his most in a single game since August 10, 2024.

AP News - Caballero was charged with a pitch-clock violation in the sixth inning while facing Carmen Mlodzinski, leading to a strikeout and the ejection of hitting coach James Rowson as the Yankees lost a doubleheader opener against the Pirates 5-3 in 10 innings.

MLB.com - Caballero's violation occurred with two outs and a runner on base, resulting in an automatic strike for the second strike of his at-bat.

ESPN - Caballero stated, "I’ve seen other guys do some other things and they don’t call anything on them. They’re just picking on me."

AP News - Crew chief Adrian Johnson stated that MLB wanted strict enforcement of the pitch clock rules following a bench-clearing incident involving Caballero and Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana.

MLB.com - Gerrit Cole recorded 11 strikeouts in a game against the Pirates, marking his 29th double-digit strikeout game as a member of the Yankees.

MLB.com - Ben Rice hit a three-run home run, his 30th of the season, tying the game at 3.

MLB.com - Caballero's violation occurred with two outs and a runner on base, resulting in an automatic strike for the second strike of his at-bat.

ESPN - Caballero stated, "I’ve seen other guys do some other things and they don’t call anything on them. They’re just picking on me."

MLB.com - Gerrit Cole recorded 11 strikeouts in the game against the Pirates, marking his 29th double-digit strikeout game as a member of the Yankees.

MLB.com - Caballero was charged with a pitch-timer violation for the second strike of his at-bat, leading to a strikeout and the ejection of hitting coach James Rowson.

MLB.com - Umpire Quinn Wolcott stated, “You don’t get to do the three or four seconds thing in the box anymore,” during a discussion with Caballero.

MLB.com - After a delay of 2½ minutes, Caballero was called out on strikes by pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski, ending the inning.

ESPN - Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed frustration, stating, "It's embarrassing," regarding MLB's failure to inform the Yankees of the change in enforcement regarding Caballero's routine.

AP News - Caballero claimed, "For everyone, it is eight seconds. For me was nine," in reference to the pitch clock enforcement.

AP News - Caballero was charged with a pitch-clock violation in the sixth inning that led to a strikeout and the ejection of hitting coach James Rowson as the Yankees lost a doubleheader opener against the Pirates 5-3 in 10 innings.

MLB.com - Caballero was called for an automatic strike for the second strike of his at-bat, which was the same move he often employs, waiting until the last second to lift his head up and be alert towards the pitcher with eight seconds remaining on the pitch timer.

MLB.com - After a delay of 2½ minutes, Caballero took a called third strike that stranded a runner.

ESPN - Caballero was charged with a pitch clock violation in the sixth inning that led to a strikeout and the ejection of hitting coach James Rowson during a game against the Pirates.

ESPN - Caballero stated, "I’ve seen other guys do some other things and they don’t call anything on them. They’re just picking on me."

ESPN - MLB's crackdown on Caballero was due to his routine of waiting to acknowledge the pitcher just before the pitch clock reaches eight seconds, which was deemed deceptive.

ESPN - Crew chief Adrian Johnson noted that the skirmish in the series opener prompted MLB to take action against Caballero, stating, "It was the cause of a bench-clearing situation on Monday night."

MLB.com - Gerrit Cole recorded 11 strikeouts in a game against the Pirates, marking the second time this season he achieved double-digit strikeouts, with the first being on May 27 at Kansas City.

MLB.com - Cole generated 21 swings and misses, his most in a single game since August 10, 2024.

NY Post - Caballero was called for an automatic strike on a pitch-timer violation with two outs and a runner on base in the sixth inning.

MLB.com - Caballero was involved in a benches-clearing incident earlier in the week due to his manipulation of the pitch timer.

MLB.com - Yankees hitting coach James Rowson was ejected for yelling at umpire Adrian Johnson.

MLB.com - Gerrit Cole recorded 11 strikeouts in a game against the Pirates, marking his 29th double-digit strikeout game as a member of the Yankees.

MLB.com - Ben Rice hit a three-run home run, his 30th of the season, tying the game at 3.

WHERE:

NY Post - Yankee Stadium, New York.

MLB.com - The incident involving Caballero occurred during a game against the Pirates at Yankee Stadium.

WHEN:

MLB.com - The incident with Caballero occurred during Game 1 of a split doubleheader against the Pirates.

MLB.com - The Yankees were scheduled to play a doubleheader on a Wednesday.

WHY:

AP News - Crew chief Adrian Johnson stated that the skirmish in the series opener prompted MLB to take action against Caballero, stating, "It was the cause of a bench-clearing situation on Monday night."

AP News - MLB cited a provision in its Pace of Game Procedures regarding conduct designed to deceive a pitcher as the reason for the enforcement against Caballero.

ESPN - MLB cited a provision in its Pace of Game Procedures that states: "Conduct by batters designed to deceive a pitcher into beginning their windup or coming to the set position in violation of these regulations shall be considered circumvention."

MLB.com - The confrontation between Caballero and Santana was due to Caballero's gamesmanship and manipulation of the pitch timer.

HOW:

AP News - Crew chief Adrian Johnson indicated that MLB's decision to enforce the pitch clock rules was a direct response to a bench-clearing incident involving Caballero and Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana.

AP News - Crew chief Adrian Johnson stated that MLB wanted strict enforcement of the pitch clock rules following a bench-clearing incident involving Caballero and Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana.

AP News - Crew chief Adrian Johnson stated that MLB wanted enforcement of the pitch clock rules and instructed umpires not to warn Caballero but to charge him with a violation.

ESPN - MLB instructed umpires not to warn Caballero and to enforce the pitch clock violation immediately, citing a provision in its Pace of Game Procedures regarding conduct designed to deceive a pitcher.

MLB.com - Cole leaned heavily on his four-seam fastball, throwing it 51% of the time, while also using his secondary pitches more equally, with the slider and knuckle curve at 15% and changeup at 18%.

MLB.com - Caballero waited until the last second to lift his head and be alert towards the pitcher with eight seconds remaining on the pitch timer.

MLB has adopted a pitch clock for the 2023 season, allowing 15 seconds between pitches with no runners and 18 seconds with runners since 2024. Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed frustration over the league's failure to inform the team about changes in enforcement related to Caballero's routine, which was linked to a recent bench-clearing incident. In a standout performance, Gerrit Cole struck out 11 batters against the Pirates, marking his second game this season with double-digit strikeouts and generating 21 swings and misses, his highest total since August 10, 2024.