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NEW YORK — Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero was still fuming between games of Wednesday’s day-night doubleheader when he received a call from the league office.
MLB called to explain a pitch clock rule change that the Yankees didn’t know existed until the sixth inning of their 5-3, 10-inning Game 1 loss to the Pirates.
“I don’t even know who I talked to, but the call was over in two minutes,” Caballero told NJ.com after the Yankees’ 2-0 win in Game 2. “All I heard was nonsense.”
In the middle of the opener, Caballero learned MLB was on a mission to end his every-pitch routine: waiting until the pitch clock drops to nine seconds, just above the eight-second mandate.
Caballero’s deliberate delays have been frustrating opposing pitchers all season, and his antics in Monday night’s series opener led to a shouting match with Pirates reliever Dennis Santana and eventually the benches clearing.
During Caballero’s sixth inning at-bat in Game 1, he swung and missed at Pirates reliever Carmen Mlodzinski’s first pitch before going through his usual routine. He engaged at nine seconds and had an automatic strike called. He disputed the call, then was furious when the umpires told him that they’d been informed Wednesday morning to call an automatic strike if they believed Caballero was intentionally deceiving the pitcher.
In his short phone call with the league office, Caballero pleaded for clarity.
“The guy asked me where to start,” Caballero said. “I’m like, ”Can you explain the rule because it sounds like I don’t know the rule?“
The MLB official repeated to Caballero what was relayed by the umpiring crew during Game 1. It was at their discretion on whether the pitcher was being deceived by waiting until the pitch clock was under 10 seconds.
“I guess it’s the umpire’s interpretation, which doesn’t really make sense because the rule is what the rule is,” Caballero said. “I still don’t know what I can do.”
Caballero was told he and every other hitter still had to engage with the pitcher before the pitch clock — which is 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 with runners on — reaches eight seconds.
Caballero laughed when sharing that.
“They already changed the rule just for me earlier this year,” he said. “I had to look up at the pitcher at nine seconds when it was eight for everyone else. I agreed to that. I was fine with it because at the end of the day, I’m just trying to do my routine.”
Caballero said the call ended quickly because it was apparent nothing would be solved.
“At the end of the day, we were talking in circles because the guy doesn’t understand my point,” Caballero said. “I do understand his point, but it makes no sense because the rule is the rule.”
Caballero, who sat out Game 2 with Anthony Volpe starting at shortstop, plans to alter his pre-pitch hitting routine before the Yankees’ next game, Friday night in Philadelphia.
“I can’t do what I was doing because I’m gonna get penalized,” Caballero said. “But I still don’t want the pitcher to rush me or hold the ball on me. So I’m still going to give them as minimal time as I can because I don’t want the pitcher to have the control of my at-bat.
“It’s my at-bat. But I guess I just have to accept they’re picking on me.”
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