HOUSTON — As if the Yankees series finale against the Astros did not have enough drama, the ninth inning Thursday got downright batty.
After Astros outfielder Taylor Trammell hit a double in the bottom of the ninth against David Bednar, manager Aaron Boone went out to home plate umpire and crew chief Adrian Johnson to ask him to inspect Trammell’s bat.
Following a lengthy delay, in which Johnson spoke to the replay center back in New York, he handed the bat to an official authenticator, and the game resumed with no other consequences.
After the Yankees’ 8-4 win, Boone said the Yankees noticed on video during the series that there was some “discoloration on the label” of Trammell’s bat.
“I don’t know if it was just natural or if it was — I don’t know and I don’t want to accuse Taylor,” Boone said. “I’m not saying anything untoward or whatever. We noticed it on video while we were here and we mentioned it to the league and they said, ‘No, that looks like an illegal bat.’ That was it.”
Trammell, who played five games for the Yankees in 2024 and spent most of that year at their Triple-A affiliate, pinch hit in the seventh inning Thursday and struck out before doubling off Bednar.
“It’s actually ridiculous. I have no idea what really happened,” Trammell told reporters, according to MLB.com. “I’ve had that bat since I’ve been here. I’ve had it for a long time. I usually take [batting practice] with it. I use it in games, I use it in [Triple-A], use it every time I need. The only thing I just don’t have a gloss finish on my bat. It’s matte. Paint wears down. That’s what happened.”
Boone said he brought up Trammell’s bat to the league earlier on Thursday before having Johnson look at it in the ninth.
It was not immediately clear what ended up happening with the bat after it was confiscated, though presumably the league will look further into it.
“You’re not allowed to do anything to your bat — and I’m not saying he was,” Boone said. “We noticed it and the league thought it maybe was illegal too. So I wanted to at least ask about it.”