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NEW YORK — The Pittsburgh Pirates looked destined towards a dull and disappointing loss against the New York Yankees, until chaos ensued at Yankee Stadium.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Dennis Santana fielded a ground ball from Yankees shortstop José Caballero, helping turn a double play and ending the eighth inning, keeping it an 8-5 deficit.
Santana and Caballero then started exchanging words with each other and then Santana was going to go after Caballero, if not for Pirates catcher Rafael Flores holding him back.
Both benches cleared and bullpens emptied, but no fists were swung nor players ejected, and the Yankees would go on and take the series opener on July 20.
Dennis Santana Reveals What Led to the Almost Fight
The Pirates relief pitcher spoke postgame about the incident and why he was so frustrated with Caballero.
Santana didn't care for Caballero taking as much time as he did around the plate, particularly late in the game and with his team trailing by three runs.
"Yeah, a little bit. A little bit. Baseball is you gotta be quick," Santana said. "Eighth inning, losing by three, man on first, quick double play. I just sped up my body. I don't know. Got out of control, but it's nothing against him. Yeah, just a game. I got caught up in the game.".
Santana was somewhat surprised that all the benches emptied and didn't originally realize it until he saw everyone surrounding them.
It's not the first time that Santana has had an incident like this, as he swung at a fan during a doubleheader vs. the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on June 19, 2025, after that fan reportedly hurled insults at Santana and his family.
Santana said that he knew that Caballero does do that at the plate, but wasn't going to take it in this outing. He also noted that he won't apologize to Caballero and invoked Pedro Martínez not apologizing after his fights.
"He can do it, but not every pitch," Santana said. "That's when I get mad, like 'Oh my God.' ... But if he does that every game, good for him."
Santana Having Rough Season in 2026
The 2026 campaign has been a poor one overall from Santana, who hasn't found the success that he once had in 2025 and in 2024 with Pirates.
Santana has posted a 2-5 record in 44 outings, a 6.05 ERA over 41.2 innings pitched, 37 strikeouts to 21 walks, a .259 batting average allowed and a 1.51 WHIP.
Much of his poor pitching has come following his blown save vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 27, where he gave up four runs and the Pirates lost 4-2.
Santana has posted an 8.48 ERA over 31 games and 28.2 innings pitched, with 27 earned runs and eight home runs given up during that time.
His frustrations vs. the Yankees weren't from this season, but Santana is determined he can turn things around going forward.
"Well, it's been a tough season for me," Santana said. "Right now, I don't have the best season, and I know I'm not doing that good. But that don't have nothing to do with today. Today was a good day. I got a clean inning, and look what happened. It's baseball. You're gonna be good. You're gonna be bad. You just gotta keep working, stay healthy, and you're gonna have the results."
Santana also praised his fellow Pirates teammates and coaches and that this incident won't go further than this game.
"I've got great teammates," Santana said. "I've got great teammates. Great staff. It's baseball. If I got a bad day in baseball, I don't take that to my house. Because this is a game. Life is not baseball."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/pirates/onsi as Pirates' Dennis Santana Addresses Near Brawl With Yankees.
