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Yankees’ Aaron Boone pleads fifth on ’embarrassing’ Jose Caballero pitch clock violation appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
New York Yankees’ infielder Jose Caballero was called for another pitch clock violation during the club’s 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first contest of Wednesday’s doubleheader. While many believe Caballero is not technically breaking any rules, MLB umpires are still calling a violation on the four-year veteran.
When asked about the situation during the postgame press conference, manager Aaron Boone was heated, to say the least. He initially wanted to remain quiet about the subject, but ultimately called out MLB for how the league is ruling the pitch clock on Caballero.
“I’m gonna plead the fifth here,” Boone said. “Just, Major League Baseball came out with something new today. So, we gotta change again.
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“Very. Very, very,” Boone stated when asked how frustrating the calls are against the Yankees. “It’s embarrassing.”
The pitch clock rule states that batters must be looking at the opposing pitcher and ready to hit by the eight-second mark. Failing to do so will result in an automatic strike. However, when watching Jose Caballero approach the batter’s box, it does not appear he is violating that rule.
During the first matchup of the doubleheader against the Pirates, the 29-year-old right-handed hitter does take his time in the box. He takes a full three to four seconds preparing for his at-bat before looking up at the opposing pitcher. Even so, it appears Caballero is technically avoiding the violation by looking at the pitcher at about the nine-second mark.
Umpire Quinn Wolcott called the pitch clock violation on Caballero anyway, claiming that the Yankees star is not allowed to stand in the box for that long before looking up at the pitcher. But nowhere in the rule book does it say that batters are not allowed to do that.
It seems the Panama native found a grey area in the rule book that MLB umpires are simply not agreeing with. The league may choose to alter the rule book after the 2026 campaign. Especially with Jose Caballero testing the limits throughout the 2026 campaign.
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