By Jim Street / MLB.com

Mike Timlin shows his cap to home plate umpire Tim McClelland on Wednesday. (Charles Krupa/AP)

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NEW YORK -- Right-handed reliever Mike Timlin is pitching so well for the Red Sox during the postseason, some eyebrows in the other dugout are being raised.

While Timlin was pitching a scoreless eighth inning Thursday night against the Yankees in Game 1 of the best-of-seven American League Championship Series, Yankees manager Joe Torre emerged from the first base dugout and asked plate umpire Tim McClelland to do some investigating.

"I guess he wanted McClelland to look at my hat," Timlin said. "He asked me if I had anything on or in my hat and I said 'no' and it was over with. If I was closer to Torre, I would have asked him what he wanted to check, but I wasn't.

"I must be pitching pretty well for them to think I'm cheating."

There is some white stuff on Timlin's cap, but he said it's resin.

Asked if the interruption bothered him, Timlin said, "Don't think so. I threw a strike with the next pitch."

Timlin has been throwing a lot of strikes in October. He has now faced 16 batters in the playoffs and retired all 16.

Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League baseball or its clubs.