Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees accuse one another of using devices to steal pitching signs
By Andy Charles
Last Updated: 06/09/17 12:51pm
Major League Baseball are investigating the Boston Red Sox over the use of an Apple Watch in the dugout to steal signs from opposing pitchers.
Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed on Tuesday that the Red Sox, who lead the American League East, had co-operated in full with an enquiry brought to light by the New York Times earlier this season.
The system was reported to have been found by the New York Yankees, fierce rivals of the Red Sox who have since accused the Yankees of stealing signs through their YES TV network cameras.
Sign-stealing issues are regular in major league baseball, and usually dealt with away from the spotlight by on-field managers, but this investigation goes deeper into the use of electronic devices to aid on-field decisions, which is against the sport's rules.
"We actually do not have a rule against sign stealing," Manfred said, confirming the investigation had been underway for nearly a fortnight and should be completed before the end of the regular season.
"It has been a part of the game for a very, very long time. To the extent that there was a violation of the rule here, it was a violation by one or the other that involved the use of electronic equipment.
"It's the electronic equipment that creates the violation.
"I think the rule against electronic equipment has a number of policy reasons behind it, but one of them is we don't want to escalate attempts to figure out what a pitcher is going to throw by introducing electronics into that mix.
Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski would not comment on the current investigation but said: "Do I think sign-stealing is wrong? No, I don't.
"I guess it depends how you do it. But no I never thought it was wrong. I guess everybody in the game has been involved with it throughout the years. People are trying to win however they can."
