New York Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero gave up on the last second while facing a 2-2 pitch from the Tampa Bay Rays pitcher in Tuesday’s game. The moment happened in the second inning with one out against Ian Seymour.
There is no clear explanation why Caballero might have laid his bat down as the 92 mph four-seam fastball crossed the plate for the strikeout. One idea could be that the shortstop thought the pitch was ball four, or at least believed the at-bat was over in his favor.
The awkward strikeout quickly made the rounds on social media, with Talkin’ Yanks posting the clip and captioning the commentator’s words:
“I don’t know what happened there.”
Even fans were left confused about what Caballero was possibly thinking at that exact moment.
As for the game, the Yankees went back to losing ways, conceding the game to the Rays, 6-4. The Rays were all over Yankees starter Will Warren, who gave up six earned runs on seven hits and two walks. Yandy Diaz, Victor Mesa Jr. and Hunter Feduccia all went deep once for the Rays. Meanwhile, for the Yankees, Ben Rice hit a three-run home run and catcher Ali Sanchez came up with the other RBI.
Yankees Address SS Problem Between Jose Caballero and Anthony Volpe
The Yankees may have found a temporary solution to their shortstop dilemma. After Anthony Volpe struggled through defensive inconsistencies and an offensive slump, the team has leaned on José Caballero as their primary shortstop.
On Monday, Caballero hit two home runs in the win against the Rays, solidifying his case for the position. However, the Yankees are committed to keeping both players involved rather than forcing an immediate decision. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he will rotate both players at the position for the time being.
“It’s still day-by-day,” Boone said after Monday’s game. “In fairness, [Caballero] has been in there a lot more days where I’ve scratched and something’s come up to where I’ve had to move. But his versatility is so valuable too, especially with what we’re going through as a team right now with some guys down.”
The Yankees are relatively better with Caballero at shortstop, as the team has posted a 32-18 record as compared to Volpe (16-20). Moreover, Caballero has hit 10 home runs this season while Volpe has managed just one hit past the warning track.
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