After playing second base, third base, and left field, José Caballero went face-to-face with the umpires over the pitch clock and even received a warning. And now, he has reacted to the incident.

“Nobody wanted the rules. They invented the rules… I’m just trying to play with the new system that they got us playing in… Please, come out here and tell us the actual rule, because I’m confused at this point,” said the $2 million Yankees star after the on-field confrontation.

The pitch clock was introduced to speed up games. Hitters must be alert to pitchers with eight seconds remaining on the clock. José Caballero believes he has been following that rule all season. Yet after Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was left searching for answers.

The controversy unfolded during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 8-3 victory.

With the score tied 3-3, José Caballero stepped into the batter’s box against Blue Jays reliever Spencer Miles.

As he routinely does, he waited until 8 seconds remained before acknowledging the pitcher. Home plate umpire Steven Jaschinski stopped play anyway, leading to a lengthy discussion involving Caballero, crew chief John Tumpane, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

The disagreement eventually resulted in Tumpane issuing Caballero a warning for “intentionally delaying” the game. That decision only added to the confusion from Caballero’s perspective.

According to the Yankees utilityman, Jaschinski told him that he would call a strike the next time Caballero looks to the ground.

Caballero questioned that interpretation, saying the rules appear to change depending on which umpire is working behind the plate.

“They’ve been changing the rules without any warnings,” Caballero noted. “The rules are the rules.”

He maintained that he follows the same routine during every plate appearance, whether pitchers work from the windup or stretch. Caballero argued that there are problems only when the pitchers rush, particularly with runners on base.

Boone appeared to support that view, saying he plans to speak with MLB officials to better understand why the warning was issued.

But not everyone saw the situation the same way.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider criticized the prolonged argument and questioned why Caballero continues finding himself at the center of the same problems again and again. A few days ago, he was caught in the same issue against the Cleveland Guardians, but blamed the pitcher’s delay for getting out of it.

“There seems to be one guy that has an issue with it,” Schneider exclaimed after the game.

While Schneider believes the rule is already understood throughout the league, the Jays skipper had more to deal with in this game.

Umpires eject John Schneider during Yankees’ game

The Blue Jays’ loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday included another flashpoint involving manager John Schneider.

Toronto was tied 3-3 entering the eighth inning when the controversy unfolded.

With Jazz Chisholm Jr standing on second base and one out recorded, Jeff Hoffman attempted an inside move. Home-plate umpire Steven Jaschinski ruled the move illegal and called a balk.

The decision advanced Chisholm to third and immediately drew Schneider out of the dugout.

Schneider completely disagreed with the call and started making his case to the ump crew. The argument got heated and resulted in his second ejection of the season. Even after the umpires tossed him, Schneider remained on the field discussing the call with almost every ump.

The frustration stemmed from a move Hoffman has used many times this season without a problem.

This gave the New York Yankees a chance to lead. Hoffman got out of the jam by striking out Max Schuemann and Anthony Volpe to end the inning.

After the game, Schneider said, “Didn’t think it was a balk.”

He noted Hoffman had used similar pickoff attempts throughout the season without issue. Schneider also revealed that his frustration extended beyond the eighth-inning balk decision.

The manager pointed toward an earlier exchange involving Yankees utilityman José Caballero and Jaschinski.

Referencing that incident, Schneider said the umpires could have shown the same level of attention during the balk review. But the game didn’t go with the Jays in the 9 inning as Braydon Fisher took over Hoffman and earned three runs.

Then Tommy Nance came in and earned two more runs, and the Yankees won the game 8-3 and took the series.