Dennis Santana didn’t sound like a pitcher looking for peace after Monday night’s flare-up with José Caballero.
Asked whether he wanted an apology from the Yankees utility man - or whether he intended to offer one himself - the Pirates reliever reached for a name that says plenty all by itself.
“Do you see Pedro Martínez apologize?”
That was Santana’s answer, and it set the tone for an odd, charged finish to the eighth inning in Pittsburgh’s 8-5 loss at Yankee Stadium.
The confrontation started with Caballero at the plate and the pitch clock winding down. Caballero, who has already caught heat this season for waiting until the last possible moment to be ready, appeared to still be looking down when Santana began his delivery with nine seconds left. Home plate umpire Paul Clemons stopped the action and motioned toward his eyes, signaling that Santana had to wait until Caballero was looking at him.
Once play resumed, Santana won the battle anyway, getting Caballero to roll into an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play. But the moment didn’t end there.
As both teams headed for their dugouts, Santana and Caballero exchanged words and moved toward each other. Santana looked especially fired up and had to be held back by Rafael Flores Jr. and Henry Davis.
Benches and bullpens emptied, though no punches were thrown and no one was ejected.
Caballero’s habit may be aggravating pitchers, but it is still within the rules. MLB clarified the issue in June after Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider complained about the same tactic last month: hitters have to be alert and looking at the pitcher when the clock hits eight seconds.
So Santana’s irritation makes sense. But it also came against the backdrop of a rough season for the right-hander, one that has looked nothing like the steady work he gave Pittsburgh over the previous two years.
He entered Monday with a 6.05 ERA in 44 appearances, along with 21 walks and 37 strikeouts over 41.2 innings. He has already given up eight home runs after allowing only seven across 109 appearances and 114.2 innings over the previous two seasons.
There was at least a small bright spot Monday. Santana worked around a single and turned in just his fourth clean inning in eight July outings, coming two days after he gave up a walk-off home run in Cleveland.
For the Pirates, that’s the part that matters most: getting Santana back to something closer to the dominant version of himself.
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Bednars comments land at a time when the Pirates have given their fans something to hold onto, and he sounded like someone who is paying attention from afar. He praised the clubs recent progress and the direction it is trying to build, while also acknowledging that Pittsburgh remains a place he remembers fondly. For a pitcher now trying to settle in with the Yankees, it was a reminder that some exits are cleaner on paper than they are in real life. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Fans Had One Immediate Fear After Latest Oneil Cruz Move
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Still, the timing underscored how much the Pirates are juggling on the injury front. Endy Rodrguez and Spencer Horwitz are both moving in the right direction as well, and each could be close to starting rehab work within the next week to 10 days, giving Pittsburgh a chance to inch back toward a healthier lineup just as Cruz nears eligibility again. [Read more 🡒]