Home / Sports / Yankees' Caballero Draws MLB Ire for Pitch Clock Tactics
Yankees' Caballero Draws MLB Ire for Pitch Clock Tactics
23 Jul
Summary
- MLB instructed umpires to penalize Caballero without warning.
- Yankees coach ejected after arguing over pitch clock violation.
- League cites rule against batter's conduct to deceive pitchers.
Major League Baseball has reportedly directed umpires to penalize New York Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero for his alleged pitch clock gamesmanship without issuing prior warnings. This directive followed an incident where Caballero received an automatic strike for allegedly entering the batter's box late.
The situation intensified during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott warned Caballero about not being able to delay entering the box. This led to an argument, during which Yankees hitting coach James Rowson was ejected for his comments.
Caballero was ultimately called out on strikes to end the sixth inning. He later expressed frustration, citing a lack of communication from the league. Yankees manager Aaron Boone described the league's reaction as "embarrassing."
The league's stance appears to be rooted in a provision of its Pace of Game Procedures, which addresses "conduct by batters designed to deceive a pitcher." This follows a recent benches-clearing incident involving Caballero and a Pirates reliever.
