NEW YORK — Nobody playing shortstop for the Yankees today invites a comparison to Derek Jeter. But on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, Jose Caballero did something that position had not produced in 27 years, in front of 41,019 fans who needed exactly this.
Caballero lined a two-run walk-off double off Angels closer Jordan Romano in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 5-4 comeback win over Los Angeles. In doing so, he became the first Yankees shortstop to deliver a walk-off hit while his team was trailing since Jeter accomplished the feat on July 23, 1999, in a 9-8 win over Cleveland that went 10 innings.
That Jeter night, the Yankees won the World Series that fall, the second of three straight championships. This was a regular-season April game. But the history is real, and so is what Caballero has been building.
How the ninth inning unfolded
The Yankees had not scored since the second inning. Six straight shutout frames had built into a one-run deficit in the ninth with one last chance to avoid a seventh loss in eight games.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. lofted a popup to the left side that Angels shortstop Zach Neto and third baseman Oswald Peraza, the ex-Yankee, miscommunicated on completely. The ball dropped onto the dirt for a Yankees gift single.
Chisholm stole second. Austin Wells drew a full-count walk against Romano to load the count and bring up Caballero with one out and two runners moving on a double steal. Caballero lined a 1-2 slider into left-center field. Chisholm scored easily. Third base coach Luis Rojas waved Wells home all the way from first base. Wells slid his left foot under catcher Logan O’Hoppe‘s tag. The Angels challenged. Replay confirmed it.
It was the second walk-off hit of Caballero’s career as a Yankee. The first came Sept. 23, 2025, against the White Sox. Aaron Judge dumped a Gatorade cooler over him in the Yankees clubhouse. Asked about his mindset in moments like this, Caballero did not hold back.
“Those are the at-bats that I want,” Caballero said. “I’m living for those at-bats. I want those at-bats every time I step in the box. I like the pressure. I like the big moments.”
“If we have outs,” he added, “there’s a chance for us to win. And we have proved that.”
Caballero’s case is stronger than his batting average
The story around Caballero this week is not straightforward. He entered Wednesday hitting .186 with a .543 OPS. Those are not numbers that lock down a starting shortstop job. And the Yankees are not pretending otherwise.
Anthony Volpe started a rehab assignment Tuesday at Double-A Somerset, played five innings and struck out twice. General manager Brian Cashman publicly backed Volpe in Tampa last week. His return is coming.
But what Caballero has done in clutch spots is harder to dismiss. He is hitting .400 with runners in scoring position, with six RBIs in those situations and seven RBIs over the past five games. Two nights earlier, he scored the winning run on a wild pitch in Monday’s 11-10 comeback win over the same Angels. His walk-off swing Wednesday left the bat at 100.7 mph.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked after the game what separates Caballero when everything is on the line. The answer went beyond any stat.
“He loves the action,” Boone said. “He’s really confident. That’s one of his biggest strengths, is he thinks he’s the best player on the field. And that’s an important thing to have and play the game with. It does seem like the bigger the stakes, the more he’s able to dig in.”
Austin Wells, who scored the winning run from first base on Caballero’s double, offered his own read on a teammate who keeps showing up in the biggest at-bats.
“He can do whatever’s necessary to get the job done,” Wells said. “He’s got all the tools to put the ball in play. He can put it out of the yard, take his walks, he’s got the speed. You don’t really know what you’re going to get out of him.”
A shrinking window, and what comes next
Caballero knows the clock is ticking. Two walk-off moments in three days will not erase a .186 average or change what Cashman said. But they change the conversation around what Caballero can be for the Yankees, even once Volpe returns.
In 13 games since a four-hit start, Caballero has managed just seven hits overall. The broad numbers have not been good. But with the game on the line and Romano on the mound for the second time in three nights, Caballero delivered the swing that put the Yankees at 10-8.
Asked what he brings to the Yankees when it matters, Caballero kept his answer short.
“I like to contribute to the team,” Caballero said, “and I did it.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
