Which Yankees players were whistling that caused Francisco Lindor's chatty HR trot?

NEW YORK – Nope, that loud whistling wasn’t the Yankees way of signaling their hitters to Taijuan Walker’s pitches.

They claim it was just Wandy Peralta being, well, Wandy Peralta.

Sunday’s wild, 7-6 Mets victory at Citi Field went to another bizarre level after the game.

Yankees players flatly denied they were whistling to indicate what was coming out of Walker’s hand during Saturday’s second inning, when he served up three home runs.

Then, why was Peralta whistling? 

“It’s just Wandy, trying to liven up the dugout,’’ Joey Gallo said of the Yankees reliever, who found himself in the center of controversy after yielding the second of Francisco Lindor’s three homers Sunday.

Wandy's whistle  

Known for his liveliness and humor around the Yankees, Peralta apparently also has a whistle that distracts.

“It’s a loud whistle and it’s definitely not for tip-pitching or anything like that, it’s 100 percent not that,’’ Gallo said. “It’s just him trying to bring energy to the dugout in the first inning, second inning, before he has to go to the bullpen.

“It’s been hurting my ear, honestly.’’

During Sunday night’s game, which included a benches-clearing incident, ESPN’s Marly Rivera reported that some Mets players believed the whistling coming from Peralta was to relay Walker’s tipped pitches.

“No, you can’t be doing something obvious like that,’’ Giancarlo Stanton said.

“If he’s tipping, you see the tip in the (batter’s) box,’’ with the Yankees slugger suggesting there are more subtle means of relaying that info.

Stanton objected to Lindor’s yapping at Yankees infielders Gleyber Torres and Gio Urshela as he went around the bases after his sixth-inning homer off Peralta.

Lindor made a whistling gesture to Peralta before reaching home plate.

Giancarlo Stanton fires back 

So, when Stanton smashed a game-tying, two-run homer off Brad Hand in the seventh, Stanton gave it back to Lindor – a verbal jab that led to both benches and bullpens clearing.

“If you’ve got a problem with Wandy, give it to Wandy,’’ Stanton said of his message to Lindor.

Backing Gallo’s claim, Stanton said that Peralta was whistling and “being loud in the dugout the first couple of innings’’ during the Subway Series games.

“(He’s) bringing noise to what’s been a flat few days and weeks for us,’’ Stanton said.

After snapping their seven-game losing streak with Saturday’s 8-7 win, the Yankees dropped out of the last AL wild card spot Sunday, for the first time since Aug. 18.

The Red Sox and Blue Jays now occupy the AL wild card spots, with 19 games left on the Yankees' schedule. 

"If we play well, we'll be where we want to be,'' said manager Aaron Boone.

Whistling in the dark

As for the loud whistles emanating from his dugout, "the last couple of nights, we’ve just been loud over there, not doing anything,’’ said an irritated Boone.

The manager was not interested in talking about Lindor’s chatty home run trot off Peralta.

“I’m not even going down that road,’’ Boone said. “Boys will be boys, I’m just going to leave it at that.’’

Of greater concern to the Yankees...

- Lindor’s eighth-inning homer off Chad Green put the Mets ahead, the second big homer Green had surrendered in the Subway Series.

- Shortstop Gleyber Torres' latest fielding error, in the second inning, led to Lindor's three-run homer off starter Clarke Schmidt, all unearned runs.

Facing Mets closer Edwin Diaz, Stanton popped out to Lindor at shortstop – with runners at second and third – to end the game.

“A great player finished off a great night and that ultimately was the difference,’’ Boone said.

As for his club, “I feel like we’re fighting, we’re competing really well and I know our guys are in the right headspace,'' Boone said of a “tough and grueling stretch.

“I like how we’re competing right now.’’

Pete Caldera is the Yankees beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Yankees analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.

Email: caldera@northjersey.com Twitter: @pcaldera