Yankees’ Jose Caballero takes first crack at ABS challenge system
SAN FRANCISCO — José Caballero made history Wednesday night, just not successfully.
The Yankees shortstop became the first player to challenge a pitch using the automated ball-strike system during the regular season. In a 7-0 win over the Giants at Oracle Park, he tried to get Logan Webb’s first pitch of the fourth inning flipped from a strike to a ball.
The only problem was that upon review, the pitch clipped the corner of the strike zone and remained a strike, proving home plate umpire Bill Miller correct and costing the Yankees one of their two challenges.
“I wanted to go for it,” Caballero said. “I thought it was a little higher than what it showed. But at least it was close.”
Despite the unsuccessful bid, Caballero still ensured his place in baseball history. After the game, his helmet was in the process of being authenticated to become an artifact in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Presumably, another helmet, hat or catcher’s mask will be joining it in the coming days as the first successful challenge.
Aaron Boone said before the game that he wanted the Yankees to be aggressive in using the ABS, while also keeping leverage in mind. Caballero was certainly aggressive, but it was not a leverage situation in a 0-0 count with the Yankees leading 5-0.
“It was really close,” Boone said of the pitch. “I didn’t have an issue with that one.”
Moving forward, Boone hopes the Yankees will be able to take advantage of the ABS, with no one (yet) forbidden from using a challenge.
“I feel like we’re going to be good at it,” Boone said. “That’s the expectation. I’m sure we’ll continue to evolve with it. My thoughts on it now maybe are a little bit different than even at the start [of camp], somewhat. So I would imagine as the season unfolds, those things will continue to evolve and we’ll try to exploit it as best we can.”
Optioned to Triple-A as the odd man out in the four-man rotation to begin the season, Luis Gil threw live batting practice at the club’s player development complex Wednesday and built up to 80 pitches. It was the first of three outings he will make before likely jumping into the rotation when the Yankees need a fifth starter, around April 10.
“He had like 10 strikeouts, threw the ball well,” Boone said. “The intensity was there. I haven’t seen it, but sounds like it went really well.”
Gil will throw again in Tampa in five days — either another live batting practice or perhaps an extended spring training exhibition — and then head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to start a game before he is ready to return to the big leagues.
Boone’s counterpart across the field Wednesday was making his major league debut. Giants manager Tony Vitello became the first man to make the jump straight from college head coach to major league manager.
“Everyone’s got a different path,” Boone said. “He came in with a lot more experience coaching and managing and things like that than I did, obviously managing really successfully — or head coaching really successfully — in the college ranks. I know he’s obviously had a ton of success and earned the opportunity and the right to be here.
“I’ll be available for any advice starting in a few days,” Boone added with a chuckle.
The Yankees made the procedural moves to finalize their 26-man roster Wednesday, placing Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole on the 15-day injured list and Anthony Volpe on the 10-day injured list, as they continue recovering from surgery.
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