Gerrit Cole and Mariners nine-hole hitter José Caballero got caught in a strange and petty back-and-forth during a Yankees game. It started with Caballero drawing out his at-bats with extra gestures, bat flips, and late timeout calls, clearly trying to throw Cole off his rhythm. In their first at-bat, Caballero exaggerated his movements on a foul ball, then floated a weak flyout to end it. The second time up, he tried to call time mid-pitch, but the umpire didn’t grant it. Cole responded by ramping up his velocity from his usual 96 to 98 and then 99, visibly annoyed. Caballero broke his bat on one of those fastballs and looked frustrated.
In the third plate appearance, the routine continued. Caballero stretched, delayed, and twirled the bat while Cole waited him out. Upset but composed, Cole fired a high fastball that sailed over the catcher and smacked into the net, drawing gasps from the crowd. It wasn’t close to the strike zone but sent a message. The count ran full, and on 3-2, Cole struck out Caballero swinging, then stared him down while laughing. That’s when Mariners manager Scott Servais started yelling at Cole, wagging a finger from the dugout. Cole met the energy with finger-wagging of his own. In the postgame, Cole downplayed it but admitted the high fastball was strategic, a way to change eye levels. He stood by the exchange with Servais and didn’t back down from the moment. A nine-hole hitter managed to get under Cole’s skin, but Cole had the last word.