The New York Yankees earned the first win of the 2026 MLB season after defeating the San Francisco Giants 7-0 on Wednesday night. It turned out to be a historic evening, as Jose Caballero's helmet is heading to Cooperstown.
In the fourth inning of the game, the 29-year-old infielder tapped his helmet to challenge Logan Webb's pitch on a 0-0 count. Although Caballero's challenge was unsuccessful, his helmet is the very first in league history to be tapped to use the automated ball-strike system to challenge a pitch in an official contest. It's for that reason his helmet is going into the Hall of Fame, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post.
“The Yankees shortstop became the first player to challenge a pitch using the automated ball-strike system during the regular season,” said Joyce. “In a 7-0 win over the Giants at Oracle Park, he tried to get Logan Webb's first pitch of the fourth inning flipped from a strike to a ball…
“Despite the unsuccessful bid, Caballero still ensured his place in baseball history,” continued Joyce. “After the game, his helmet was in the process of being authenticated to become an artifact in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Presumably, another helmet, hat, or catcher's mask will be joining it in the coming days as the first successful challenge.”
Jose Caballero loses the first ABS challenge in Yankees and MLB history
Yankees have one incorrect challenge remaining pic.twitter.com/kSUFIqRSgD
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) March 26, 2026
After the Yankees' win, the fourth-year veteran claimed he wanted to challenge the pitch, as he felt the ball was a bit higher than the ABS showed. Jose Caballero was glad to see it was at least a close call.
“I wanted to go for it,” said Caballero. “I thought it was a little higher than what it showed. But at least it was close.”
Caballero and the Yankees will have a chance to use the ABS and earn their second win of the season on Friday. New York is scheduled to face off against the Giants in the second contest of a three-game series.
