HOUSTON — The Yankees’ 8-4 win on Thursday was pushed back by several minutes, as Aaron Boone asked umpires to inspect Taylor Trammell’s bat in the ninth inning following a double from the Astros’ outfielder.
Boone requested that the officials take a look at Trammell’s lumber because he had noticed some “discoloration” near the label earlier in the series and asked MLB about it prior to Thursday’s game. That led to some questions over the bat’s legality, as well as a lengthy delay that resulted in Trammell’s bat being confiscated and handed over to a league authenticator.
“I don’t know if [the discoloration] was natural or if it was … I don’t know, and I don’t want to accuse Taylor,” Boone, cutting himself off, explained after the confusion. “I’m not saying anything untoward or whatever. We noticed it, though, on video while we were here, and we actually mentioned it to the league and they said, ‘No, that looks like an illegal bat.’”
Asked what he thought Trammell may have been trying to do to his bat, Boone replied, “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know.”
Taylor Trammell’s bat was confiscated after he doubled in the ninth inning pic.twitter.com/gttHtqgGwT
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 5, 2025
MLB did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the situation late Thursday night, but Trammell was allowed to remain at second base after the confiscation in accordance with league rules.
Per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Trammell denied any wrongdoing, including shaving down his bat. He attributed the discoloration to his bat’s paint job.
“I’ve had that bat since I’ve been here,” said Trammell, who spent most of last season in the Yankees’ organization before being traded to Houston for cash considerations in November. “I’ve had it for a long time. I usually take BP with it. I use it in games, I use it [at Triple-A Sugar Land], use it every time I need. The only thing is I just don’t have a gloss finish on my bat. It’s matte. Paint wears down. That’s what happened.”
The umpires are examining Taylor Trammell’s bat pic.twitter.com/D82gBrYuWo
— nyyankeedad (@russlichti) September 5, 2025
Trammell added that he “got word [the Yankees] thought my bat was shaved down too much.”
“To be honest, I have no idea how you shave down a bat,” Trammell continued. “I don’t know what it is. I feel kind of defensive right now, more so a test of my character, of like I’m going to willingly do that. Just kind of lost on that thing, and if anybody knows me, [they] know I’m never going to cheat any turns or anything like that. I have no idea. That’s baffling to me that it was even checked. They didn’t like it. Sorry. I used it the first at-bat and it wasn’t a problem. I struck out and it wasn’t a problem then.”
As the delay dragged on, David Bednar stayed busy by throwing warm-up pitches. The Yankees closer, who last pitched on Aug. 30, proceeded to allow an RBI single to Yordan Alvarez, but he eventually worked out of trouble, overcame the interruption, and brought an end to a chaotic game and series that featured plenty of involvement from the umpires.
Earlier on Thursday, in the sixth inning, third base umpire Brian Walsh appeared to rule that Ryan McMahon did not catch a soft line drive in the air, even though the Yankees’ third baseman clearly did before bobbling a transfer to his throwing hand.
On Wednesday, multiple Yankees ripped Walsh’s strike zone after they lost to Houston by a run. The dissatisfaction led to ejections for Boone and Devin Williams, and there was also some confusion over Camilo Doval’s Spanish language PitchCom.
“It was definitely eventful,” said Carlos Rodón, who allowed two runs (one earned) over six innings on Thursday. “A lot of stuff going on.”
Added Boone: “This took some months and some years off me for sure.”
