The New York Yankees secured an 8-5 victory in their series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. led New York with a two-home run performance, but the teams sparked a benches-clearing incident late in the game.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, after Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana got Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero to ground into a double play, he blew a kiss toward Caballero, which led to exchanged words and ultimately the two players trying to get to one another before both teams rushed out of the dugouts.
Benches clear in the 8th inning of the Pirates-Yankees game in New York. pic.twitter.com/YR4SSFSHfp
— MLB (@MLB) July 21, 2026
Aaron Boone Reacts to Incident
After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone reacted to the incident between Santana and Caballero with a simple four-word response.
“Boys will be boys,” Boone said.
When asked about Caballero’s approach of engaging with the pitcher up until the last second on the pitch clock — which Caballero believes upset Santana — Boone mentioned that more players “should employ it” when it comes to disrupting a pitcher’s timing.
“It’s a weird timing thing for guys… when not a lot of guys do it, it can catch you off guard a little bit,” Boone said. “I completely understand it. It’s part of his process getting mentally ready to it. Frankly, I think more guys should employ it. That way you take the pitcher out of all the ability to disrupt timing.”
Caballero’s Postgame Comments
Caballero spoke about the altercation after the game and said that while he believes Santana was upset with his approach at the plate, the Pirates pitcher was “walking to the wrong side.”
“I’m guessing so,” Caballero said when asked if Santana was upset about the pitch clock. “For me, I grounded out into a double play. He got what he wanted. He should go to the other side, and he was walking to the wrong side.”
Yankees’ Aaron Boone Has 4-Word Reaction to Benches Clearing Against Pirates