Major League Baseball has targeted New York Yankees shortstop José Caballero for a strict crackdown on his batting routine, ruling that his deliberate delay in engaging pitchers amounts to deception. The enforcement triggered a pitch-clock violation, a strikeout, and an ejection during a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
José Caballero Plate Routine Target by Major League Baseball
New York Yankees shortstop José Caballero found himself at the center of a sudden rules enforcement on Wednesday as Major League Baseball cracked down on his plate routine. Weary of Caballero’s habit of waiting until the pitch clock reaches eight seconds before acknowledging the pitcher, MLB instructed umpires to bypass warnings and immediately penalize the infielder, citing provisions against deception and circumvention under its pace-of-game rules, according to Associated Press reporting.
During a June 14 game at Toronto, Caballero was spoken to against the Toronto Blue Jays regarding his routine. The MLB are looking to crackdown on Caballero’s routine, which involves the 29-year-old not acknowledging the pitcher until just before the clock reaches eight seconds.
Umpire Enforcement and the Ejection of James Rowson
During the sixth inning of Wednesday’s doubleheader opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium—which New York ultimately lost 5-3 in 10 innings—plate umpire Quinn Wolcott charged Caballero with an automatic pitch-clock violation while the batter faced reliever Carmen Mlodzinski. The call sparked a lengthy delay, a called third strike that stranded a runner, and the ejection of Yankees hitting coach James Rowson for his vocal protests from the dugout.
Frustrations were apparent as Caballero pleaded his innocence to umpire Quinn Wolcott after the sixth inning crack down. Caught on YES Network hot mics, Caballero accused home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott of “singling” him out, and Boone called the decision “bulls—” after Wolcott gave Caballero an automatic strike for waiting until eight seconds remained on the pitch clock—the last possible second allowed by the rules—to acknowledge reliever Carmen Mlodzinski.
But crew chief Adrian Johnson said Caballero had circumvented the pitch clock rules,
and pointed to the benches clearing in Monday’s Yankees-Pirates game, with Caballero’s pre-pitch routine at the center of the incident.
The Monday Night Fracas With Dennis Santana
NEW YORK — Double plays generally don’t lead to benches-clearing altercations. One did Monday night. In the eighth inning of the Pirates’ 8-5 loss to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Pirates right-hander Dennis Santana got into it with Yankees utility man Jose Caballero after Caballero grounded into a double play. Benches cleared and both bullpens emptied, but nothing came of it. Santana had an issue with Caballero’s pace of play, feeling Caballero took too long to engage him in the at-bat. Hitters must be in the box and ready for a pitch with eight seconds left on the pitch timer. Caballero likes to wait until the very end of that countdown, hoping to mess with a pitcher’s timing. It didn’t have the intended result against Santana — but it did get in the pitcher’s head.
I think it was the game speed, like speed of the game,” Santana said. I don’t know. I’m not used to that, people waiting too much at home plate.
It’s nothing against him,
Santana added. “Yeah, just a game. I got caught up in the ga
Santana’s irritation stemmed from a pitch that was waved off by home-plate umpire Paul Clemons earlier in the at-bat. Eventually, Caballero grounded into a 1-6-3 double play that ended the inning. With the play complete, Santana moved toward first base and repeatedly gestured toward Caballero, who had turned his back and was handing his protective guards to first-base coach Dan Fiorito.
Managerial Pushback and Caballero’s Defense
Caballero was acquired from Tampa Bay last July 31 and Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged his thoughts on the utilityman spun 180 degrees with the swap. He’s one of those guys I would yell at from the dugout,
Boone said Wednesday morning. He was a pest and I didn’t like it. Now I like him because he’s a good player and he’s on our side. But, yeah, we’ve had a laugh about that.
José Caballero Defense of Plate Routine Against Major League Baseball
Caballero maintained that he was being unfairly singled out by officials, pointing out that other players across the league employ similar timing tactics without facing penalties. I’ve seen other guys do some other things and they don’t call anything on them,
Caballero said. They’re just picking on me.
If you get frustrated, I’m winning,
Caballero said. For me, it’s a battle in the box. I’m trying to win the battle. If you’re not concentrating 100%, I think I’m winning.
The Yankees are now heading to Philadelphia with a 57-45 record, which has them sitting in second spot in the AL East.
Sources: Apnews.
