Once adversaries, José Caballero had no idea how Gerrit Cole would respond when the two met for the first time as Yankees teammates.
Cole, however, had a joke locked and loaded for the utilityman.
“He was like, ‘Watch your head, kid,’” Caballero, who homered in the Yankees’ 6-4 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday , told the Daily News.
Cole’s quip referred to a June 2023 incident at Yankee Stadium during which the pitcher fired an 0-2 fastball high above Caballero’s dome. Cole went on to fan Caballero, who played for the Mariners at the time, before infamously wagging his finger at Seattle’s dugout.
Cole delivered the two-part message because Caballero had gotten on his nerves, stepping in and out of the batter’s box in an effort to mess with the ace’s timing.
“He instigates a lot of thin