Yankees, Pirates benches clear after pitch timer disagreement

NEW YORK – You can almost set your watch to it: Once again, an opponent has expressed frustration with José Caballero’s manipulation of the pitch timer.

This time, it was the Pirates’ Dennis Santana, who exchanged words with the Yankees’ infielder after an eighth-inning at-bat. Both benches and bullpens briefly cleared before New York held on for an 8-5 victory at Yankee Stadium.

“If you get frustrated, I’m winning,” Caballero said. “For me, it’s a battle in the box. I’m trying to win the battle. If you’re not concentrating 100%, I think I’m winning.”

Santana’s irritation stemmed from a pitch that was waved off by home-plate umpire Paul Clemons earlier in the at-bat. Eventually, Caballero grounded into a 1-6-3 double play that ended the inning.

With the play complete, Santana moved toward first base and repeatedly gestured toward Caballero, who had turned his back and was handing his protective guards to first-base coach Dan Fiorito.

“It was the game speed. I’m not used to that,” Santana said. “People waiting too much at home plate; it frustrated me a little bit. With baseball, you have to be quick. It’s nothing against him. It’s just a game. I got caught up in the game.”

Santana’s outburst prompted the players to move toward each other before Santana was held back by his catcher, Rafael Flores Jr. Caballero said he couldn’t hear what Santana was saying.

According to Santana, the message was, essentially, “Don’t be that long at home plate.”

Opponents and umpires have had difficulty navigating Caballero’s efforts to tilt the pitch timer to his advantage, which Caballero has explained as being completely within the rules.

Hitters must be in the batter’s box and be alert to the pitcher with 8 seconds remaining. Caballero prefers to wait until the last possible second in the hopes of luring the opposing pitcher into a pitch timer violation.

“It’s a weird timing thing for guys,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “When not a lot of guys do it, it can catch you off guard a little bit. … Frankly, I think more guys should explore it. That way, you take the pitcher out of having all the ability to disrupt timing.”

On that topic, Caballero wonders why more pitchers aren’t receiving violations rather than warnings.

“He’s lucky that he doesn’t get an [automatic] ball right away,” Caballero said. “At this point, it’s been four years with the same rules. We should all know about the rules. The whole league should know who I am, what I do in the box. They should be aware of it.”

When Caballero was issued a warning for “intentionally delaying” a June game against the Blue Jays in Toronto, he sought clarification from the league. Shortly thereafter, Boone and Caballero were told that he was within the rules.

“It’s a rule that has been out there for four years now,” Caballero said. “If you’re not used to it, you should practice.”

Santana pitched for the Yankees in 2024, though he and Caballero did not overlap. Santana was designated for assignment midway through that season and claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh. Caballero was traded to the Yankees last July by the Rays.

“It’s been a tough season,” said Santana, who has a 6.05 ERA in 44 appearances. “I know I’m not doing that good, but it has nothing to do with today. Today was a good day. I had a clean inning. It’s baseball.”