New York Yankees infielder Jose Caballero took aim at Major League Baseball for harshly enforcing pitch clock rules against him.
By rule, pitchers and hitters must engage each other with at least eight seconds left on the pitch clock. Caballero has a habit of waiting until the last possible moment to do so, hoping to catch a pitcher sleeping or otherwise disrupt their routine.
On Wednesday, umpire Quinn Wolcott called Caballero for a pitch timer violation when he pulled the move against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Caballero protested and could be heard accusing the league of “picking on” him.
Jose Caballero got into it with umpires once again, claiming they were "picking on him" with their enforcement of pitch clock rules
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 22, 2026
The umpires insisted that the league office spoke with them before the game, saying Caballero is not allowed to do what he claims is his routine pic.twitter.com/1qvVuwyuBk
Caballero doubled down on Thursday by posting a social media message accusing the league of punishing him improperly and trying to bully him.
“They know they’re wrong, but it’s very hard to accept that a simple player who just wants to play the sport he’s loved can adapt and use it in his game,” Caballero wrote in Spanish. “In the end, they’re the ones who are in charge and do whatever they want, whenever and however they want, and everyone else just has to shut up and obey.”
Jose Caballero put out a statement after yesterday's incident https://t.co/F1ep0aUM3W pic.twitter.com/btzb9fPknf
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 23, 2026
Caballero did appear to engage the pitcher with nine seconds to go on the clock on Wednesday. However, the pitch clock rule allows umpires to issue a violation against hitters who are adjudged to “deceive a pitcher into beginning their windup or coming to the set position.” The league clearly thinks Caballero’s gamesmanship is a form of such deception.
Caballero is known to be a bit of an agitator who likes to rile up opponents. The league appears to be cracking down and setting a precedent here, and he is the one paying the price.
