It seems there’s tension brewing between Gerrit Cole and the Seattle Mariners.
The New York Yankees pitcher was dealing during the matchup with Seattle Tuesday night, but things appeared to get dicey in the top of the seventh.
Facing Mariners second baseman Jose Caballero with two outs, Cole quickly got a 0-2 count before Caballero appeared to take a last-second timeout before stepping back in the dugout. He also flipped his bat after fouling off a ball beforehand.
“Caballero certainly does play games when it comes to getting in and out of the box,” Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay said.
The following pitch went way above Caballero’s head, as Kay wondered if that was Cole sending a message to the batter.
“Sometimes a high fastball can be a really effective pitch,” said Cole, in a deadpan delivery. “So, got to change eye levels.”
After the count got full, Cole struck out Caballero swinging. Cole then appeared to yell, stare down Caballero and on his way back to the dugout, wagged his finger toward the Mariners dugout.
WATCH: Victor Wembanyama throws out wild ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium
Home plate umpire Dan Bellino then walked toward the New York dugout and had an intense discussion with Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
Gerrit Cole on why he wagged finger
Cole said postgame he wagged his finger in response to Mariners manager Scott Servais.
“Their manager had some choice words for me coming off the field and he was wagging his finger at me,” Cole said of Scott Servais. “So, I wagged my finger at him.
“That’s the first time, I think, an opposing manager has ever wagged a finger at me,” Cole said with some amusement.
Cole pitched 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight, and gave up one run on four hits. The Yankees won 3-1 to end a four-game losing streak.
Contributing: Associated Press
