![]() This isn't cheating… this is part of the game. The 1st base coach can easily pick these signs. Will Middlebrooks how open Kirk's right knee/leg is when he gives signs. And while hitters can watch fresh video on iPads in the dugout, it's video in which the catcher's signals are edited out.įor another thing, how many catchers even give signs anymore? Access to and communication with replay rooms is now strictly regulated. They also got busted for "misusing" Apple Watches in 2017, and it came out just last year that they had previously had their own scheme involving the video replay room in 20.Ĭontext like this could make even a calm, rational person look at the Judge situation and go "Hmmm." For less calm, less rational people, it seems to be enough cause to shout "Cheater!"īut how, exactly, are teams supposed to steal signs in this day and age?įor one thing, there's no longer a wild west attitude about in-game video. The Boston Red Sox had their own replay-room scheme in 2018, and one that revolved around Apple Watches before that.Īnd then there's the Yankees' place in this history. The worst of the worst was the Houston Astros using the video replay room to decode signs and relay them in real-time to batters in 20, for which they were punished in 2020. But that changes when technology is involved, and there are obviously some infamous examples of that happening. The simple act of stealing signs, such as when a runner on second base sees the catcher's signs and reveals them to the batter in some way, is frowned upon but not technically illegal. For the batter, there are obvious benefits of having that information before the pitch is on its way. It can center on hand signals from coaches, but more typically involves finger signals put down by the catcher as he and the pitcher determine which pitch to throw. In case anyone needs a refresher on what "sign-stealing" even is, it involves one team decoding the opposition's hand signals and using the resulting information to its advantage. That is, however, at the center of the aforementioned conspiracy theory.Īs is the case with most conspiracy theories, this one is mildly compelling but also ridiculous. Let the record show that the Blue Jays didn't specifically accuse Judge or the Yankees of stealing signs. I think we'll dive into that a little bit more tonight and tomorrow, and make sure that we're doing everything we can to not make ourselves susceptible to tendencies, locations, pitches or anything like that." "He's obviously looking in that direction for a reason. "It's kind of odd that a hitter would be looking in that direction," manager John Schneider said. The Blue Jays, though, had their suspicions.
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