Yankees infielder goes off on MLB for targeting him

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.”

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.