The New York Yankees were beaten 5-3 by the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium, and the loss carried a subplot that’s becoming familiar for shortstop Jose Caballero. In the sixth inning, a warning was issued for a pitch-clock violation. The exchange with umpire Quinn Wolcott turned sharp, as Caballero insisted he was obeying the rules.
This wasn’t the first time this season Caballero found himself on the wrong side of the clock. In June, he was also warned for a similar routine. What he does, according to the MLB, is wait until the final second to show he’s watching the pitcher. It’s a delay tactic the league says it will no longer tolerate.
Caballero pushed back during the game, telling the umpire, 'I was looking at him. You're picking on me!' His frustration boiled over. The hitting coach, James Rowson, ended up ejected for continuing the protest.
According to Wolcott, the league office had already drawn a line in the sand. 'We are done with it,' he relayed directly to Caballero. 'We have been told that he is not allowed to do it.' The Yankees shortstop has been given his warnings, and the next time he tests the patience of the league, the consequences could be steeper.
The Yankees are still in second place in the AL East, with a 57-45 record, but with Caballero’s behavior under scrutiny, the coming weeks will be telling. The league is watching, and the clock is ticking.