Major League Baseball directed umpires to enforce the pitch clock against New York Yankees shortstop José Caballero on Wednesday, ruling that his habit of waiting until eight seconds remained on the clock before acknowledging the pitcher amounted to deception, according to ABC News.
Plate umpire Quinn Wolcott charged Caballero with a pitch-clock violation in the sixth inning of the doubleheader opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at a moment when the Yankees trailed 2-0 and Caballero faced pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski. The violation resulted in a called third strike that stranded a runner on base. Hitting coach James Rowson was ejected during the dispute that followed. New York lost the game 5-3 in 10 innings.
Wolcott explained the ruling to a pool reporter after the game. "He's not allowed to do an inordinate amount of time looking down, trying to get the pitcher to cause a violation," Wolcott said. "There's no other hitter that gets in the box, takes the amount of the time that Caballero does while looking down, not making eye contact with the pitcher. Obviously it's caused a lot of problems in the past. It's not going to be allowed anymore."
This was not the first time Caballero's routine had drawn attention. During a June 14 game at Toronto, he twice delayed raising his head until eight seconds remained on the clock, earning a warning from plate umpire Steven Jaschinski. That situation produced a delay of more than two minutes while Caballero, Jaschinski, Yankees manager Aaron Boone, and crew chief John Tumpane debated the matter on the field.
Tensions had also flared earlier in the week. Benches and bullpens cleared at the end of the eighth inning during Monday night's series opener when Pirates reliever Dennis Santana yelled at Caballero for taking too long to get ready in the batter's box.
Crew chief Adrian Johnson said the Monday skirmish prompted MLB to act. Caballero pushed back on the scrutiny. "I've seen other guys do some other things and they don't call anything on them," he said. "They're just picking on me."
MLB cited a provision in its Pace of Game Procedures to justify the crackdown. The rule states that conduct by batters designed to deceive a pitcher into beginning their windup or coming to the set position in violation of regulations shall be considered circumvention. The pitch clock was introduced for the 2023 season to reduce game times and has stood at 15 seconds with no runners and 18 seconds with runners since 2024.
Boone, who acknowledged his views on Caballero had shifted completely since the shortstop was acquired from Tampa Bay on July 31 last year, described his earlier feelings plainly. "He's one of those guys I would yell at from the dugout," Boone said. "He was a pest and I didn't like it. Now I like him because he's a good player and he's on our side. But, yeah, we've had a laugh about that."
