- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,170,180
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
TORONTO — Aaron Boone’s post-game news conference began with comments about Ben Rice’s tie-breaking, ninth-inning homer, the Yankees exorcising 2025 demons by winning a series in Toronto and Anthony Volpe’s all-around standout day.
Yankees WFAN radio analyst Suzyn Waldman then changed the subject to Jose Caballero, who stood out in an 8-3 win over the Blue Jays for more than his play.
Is that kind of the full Caballero? Three different positions, fight with an umpire and 420-foot home run?
Boone smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, it’s a good way of looking at it,” the manager said. “We got the full experience today and you got to see his BP power. That’s one of those he gets in BP all the time. He got the right level of ticked off to really lock him in there, so that was the full Caballero experience.”
Before Caballero added the icing with a three-run homer that capped a five-run Yankees ninth, he again had issues with umpires regarding the pitch clock.
Hitters must lock eyes with the pitcher before the pitch clock is down to eight seconds and all season long Caballero has been waiting until the last possible moment to engage.
On Sunday, Caballero was furious when plate umpire Paul Clemons threatened to call an automatic strike for waiting until the last possible millisecond instead of engaging earlier.
Yankees moneyline is listed at -140 on Caesars for Tuesday night’s game against the White Sox. Our complete list of the best NJ sportsbook promos will help you decide which sportsbook to use.
This led to an entertaining on-field argument that included Boone.
When Caballero took out his frustration in the ninth inning with his homer, he flipped his bat and yelled, “That’s for you.”
Caballero said he was looking at teammate Max Schuemann, who was up next, and not the umpire when he reacted and that his home run was for “everyone.”
Earlier, Caballero went on and on defending his tactics at the plate, which are meant to get under the skin of pitchers.
“Well, (Clemons) was saying that if I looked down, he was gonna call a strike on me, so I don’t really understand the rule there,” Caballero said. “They’ve been changing the rule without any warnings. I don’t know why they’re doing that. The rules are the rules. Nobody wanted the rules. They invented the rules. I’m just trying to play with the new system that they got us playing.”
The pitch clock rule, which was added for the 2023 season to speed up games, gives pitchers 15 seconds to make a pitch with the bases empty, 18 with runners on base.
Caballero says he’s always playing within the rules for hitters by engaging with the pitcher before the pitch count is down to eight seconds
“It’s not like I invented the rules,” he added. “I wish they were more clear with their rules. Obviously, they’re not. The only guys who can call whatever rules they invented are the umpires.”
Boone plans to call the league office on Monday to get clarification because Caballero has argued with umpires about the pitch clock several times this season.
“Please, I need (clarity) because I do the same thing over and over, even from (pitcher’s) windup, even from the stretch. I do the same move. It’s not my fault, the pitchers rush a little bit. Every time the pitchers don’t rush, it’s no problem at all. But then whenever they get people on and they start like thinking faster and they rush, that’s when the problem comes.
“But that’s not my fault, I do the same thing over and over. So please come out here and tell us the actual role, because I’m kind of confused at this point.”
Caballero was asked if he thinks he has a reputation with umpires as a trouble maker and they’re getting even with him.
“It doesn’t matter about my reputation,” he said. “It’s the rule. The rules are the rules, and they should be calling the rules they invented. I didn’t invent the rules, so they should be more clear about it.”
Watching from the Yankees dugout, Cody Bellinger got a kick out of seeing Caballero so animated.
“It’s entertaining,” he said.
Caballero played all over the field, contributing to the Yankees win. He started the game at second base before moving to third base and left field.
Caballero was still fired up when he came to plate in the ninth.
Rice’s two-run homer broke a 3-3 tie, then Caballero homered after two walks to make it a five-run game.
“I think every time (I argue with the umpires of the pitch clock) I’m kind of not in my happy song,” he said. “I get frustrated. Sometimes it goes good (afterward), but then sometimes it goes bad.
“I just want to be clear with the rules because we’ve been playing with the rules for quite a bit. It’s been four years with the new ruling, and they still haven’t figured out what to do with it. I have until eight seconds to be locked in with the pitcher. That’s what I was told at the beginning.
“Every day they change (how it’s enforced), so I don’t really know at this point. I’m just requesting the rules they’ve got us playing with to be called out there.
“You’ve seen the chatting between me and the umpires for quite a bit, but this is the first time I got someone telling me if I do my move I was gonna get called a strike, which doesn’t make sense to me because it’s my routine. But it’s their game, I guess. I just want to be clear with the new ruling.”
Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Continue reading...
