Yankees' Caballero hit with pitch clock violation in crackdown - ESPN

NEW YORK — New York Yankees shortstop José Caballero was targeted by Major League Baseball for some pest control, sparking yet another squabble.

Weary of Caballero's routine of waiting to acknowledge the pitcher just before the pitch clock reaches eight seconds, MLB told umpires Wednesday his regimen amounted to deception.

Plate umpire Quinn Wolcott charged Caballero with a pitch clock violation in the sixth inning that led to a strikeout and the ejection of hitting coach James Rowson as New York lost a doubleheader opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 in 10 innings.

«I've seen other guys do some other things and they don't call anything on them,» Caballero said. «They're just picking on me.»

Caballero was acquired from Tampa Bay last July 31 and Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged his thoughts on the utility man spun 180 degrees with the swap.

«He's one of those guys I would yell at from the dugout,» Boone said Wednesday morning. «He was a pest and I didn't like it. Now I like him because he's a good player and he's on our side. But, yeah, we've had a laugh about that.»

During a June 14 game at Toronto, Caballero twice was deliberate in not raising his head until eight seconds remained on the pitch clock, leading to a warning by plate umpire Steven Jaschinski. That prompted a delay of more than two minutes while Caballero, Jaschinski, Boone and crew chief John Tumpane discussed the situation.

Benches and bullpens cleared at the end of the eighth inning during Monday night's series opener when Pirates reliever Dennis Santana yelled at Caballero for taking too long to get ready in the batter's box. Then on Wednesday, Wolcott charged Caballero with a violation in the sixth inning while the batter faced Carmen