Yankees win turns testy as Santana fumes at Caballero clock routine
Dennis Santana shouted at Jose Caballero after a late double play in the Yankees’ 8-5 win over the Pirates, ESPN reported.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Jose Caballero’s pitch-clock routine turned an ordinary eighth-inning grounder into the loudest moment of the Yankees’ 8-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night at Yankee Stadium, according to ESPN.
The Yankees had plenty of offense, with ESPN reporting that Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit two more home runs as New York broke out for eight runs. Then came the late-game flare-up between Pirates reliever Dennis Santana and Caballero.
With one out and a runner on first in the eighth, Caballero hit a ball back to Santana. The right-hander started a 1-6-3 double play that ended the inning, ESPN reported.
Santana did not immediately head off the field. According to ESPN, he looked toward Caballero, spoke in his direction, gestured and walked toward him after Caballero answered back. Teammates restrained Santana as he continued yelling and pointing, and the benches cleared before the scene settled.
After the game, Santana told ESPN that his anger came from Caballero waiting until the pitch clock reached eight seconds before looking at the pitcher, a routine Caballero uses often.
“He can do whatever he wants, but we're already losing,” Santana said, according to ESPN. “[It's] the eighth inning and you got a couple of hits. Like, get ready.”
Under MLB rules cited by ESPN, hitters must be in the batter’s box and alert to the pitcher by the eight-second mark or be charged with an automatic strike. Caballero’s routine is to hold his look until that point, which ESPN reported is legal but has annoyed opponents before.
Caballero was warned for an “intentional delay” last month against the Toronto Blue Jays, ESPN reported. MLB later told the Yankees that Caballero had to be alert with eight seconds left on the clock, which the league first introduced in 2023.
Caballero defended the tactic after Monday’s game, saying the league and opponents should know how he operates by now.
“At this point, it's been four years with the same rules,” Caballero said, according to ESPN. “We should all know about the rules. The whole league should know who I am, what I do in the box, and they should be aware of it.”
ESPN reported that the tension started earlier in the at-bat when home-plate umpire Paul Clemons warned Santana for not making eye contact with Caballero before coming set. Caballero had waited until the eight-second mark to look up.
Two pitches later, Caballero grounded Santana’s slider back to the mound, ending the inning and starting the shouting match.
Caballero told ESPN his routine is about controlling his time in the box. “If you get frustrated, I'm winning,” he said.
Both players told ESPN they do not have a relationship and had not met before. Santana, 30, opened the 2024 season with the Yankees before being placed on waivers and claimed by the Pirates in June. ESPN reported the Yankees acquired Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays a year later.
Caballero’s routine has crossed paths with Yankees drama before. ESPN noted that in 2023, when Caballero played for the Seattle Mariners, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole threw an 0-2 pitch several feet over his head after Caballero repeatedly stepped out until the clock ran down. Cole then struck him out and shouted toward the Mariners’ dugout while wagging his finger.
Santana, who ESPN listed with a 6.05 ERA in 44 appearances this season, said he knew about Caballero’s approach but did not expect it so often.
Asked by ESPN whether he needed to apologize, Santana answered with a question: “Do you see Pedro Martinez apologize?”
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.