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New York Yankees infielder Jose Caballero’s pitch-clock maneuvers irked several parties earlier this week.
Monday night, the benches cleared against the Pittsburgh Pirates after pitcher Dennis Santana had some choice words for Caballero, and two days later hot mics caught Caballero in a heated argument with an umpire.
In short, Caballero has become notorious for waiting until the last possible second to make eye contact with the pitcher, which in the pitch-clock era is required before a pitcher comes to set or starts his windup. Batters and pitchers have until eight seconds left to become aware of the opponent.
New York Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero reacts after being called for a clock violation by home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott during the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on July 22, 2026. (John Jones/Imagn Images)
However, Caballero did his usual thing Wednesday afternoon and was promptly called for a foul before striking out, even though he looked up a second earlier. Mics picked Caballero up and said the ref “chopped on” him. Home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott said Caballero doesn’t “get to do the three-four second thing in the box anymore.”
Caballero responded that he had “made up my f—ing routine,” and manager Aaron Boone said the umps were “making up rules as we went along.”
Manager Aaron Boone said neither he nor anyone else on the Yankees was made aware that Caballero could potentially be called for violations. However, Wolcott cited MLB rules, which state that maneuvers by batters “to deceive a pitcher into beginning their winding or getting to the set position” will first result in warnings before being called pitch-clock violations.
Crew chief Adrian Johnson said Caballero has “been warned all season”, prompting a change in how he is treated.
New York Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero walks off the field after the benches are cleared during the eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on July 20, 2026. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
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“He’s been cautioned all season. We were told not to caution him. We were instructed to foul him. It is what it is. It’s a violation,” he told a pool reporter.
So as long as the umps think Caballero is deliberately baiting pitchers, the Yankees may have a losing battle here.
Johnson also said the violation was a result of the bench-clearing incident on Monday.
“He’s not allowed to see an inordinate amount of time down trying to get the pitcher to cause offense,” Wolcott told a pool reporter. “There’s no other hitter that comes into the box, takes the time that Caballero does, looking down, not making eye contact with the pitcher. Obviously, that’s caused a lot of problems in the past. That’s not going to be allowed anymore.”
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Boone called the judges’ decisions “embarrassing.” Based on previous conversations with MLB, Boone instructed Caballero to “make sure you look up at nine so you’re alert at eight.”
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone argues with home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott after the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on July 22, 2026 in New York City. (Getty Images)
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“He actually said they made new rules today and it’s on me because I cheated or something to the pitcher, which doesn’t make sense,” Caballero said. “I don’t know, maybe my English is so bad that I don’t understand, but cheating kind of means you’re trying to fool somebody, and I’m not trying to fool anybody because I do the same thing over and over again. You can check my last 50 at-bats and see if I do the same thing or not, or maybe check 101 at-bats or 101 at-bats or.”
