Stealing the other team’s signs is a time-honored tradition in Major League Baseball. But now, investigators believe the Boston Red Sox used the Apple Watch to help steal signs from against their bitter rival, the New York Yankees.
The baseball inquiry began about two weeks ago, after the Yankees’ general manager, Brian Cashman, filed a detailed complaint with the commissioner’s office that included video the Yankees shot of the Red Sox dugout during a three-game series between the two teams in Boston last month.
The Yankees, who had long been suspicious of the Red Sox’ stealing catchers’ signs in Fenway Park, contended the video showed a member of the Red Sox training staff looking at his Apple Watch in the dugout. The trainer then relayed a message to other players in the dugout, who, in turn, would signal teammates on the field about the type of pitch that was about to be thrown, according to the people familiar with the case.
MLB investigators agreed with the Yankees’ claims after viewing video of the incident. The Red Sox admitted their trainers received signals from video replay personnel and shared the information with some Red Sox players. Investigators believe the information was used to determine which type of pitch was going to be thrown next.
The video provided to the commissioner’s office by the Yankees was captured during the first two games of the series and included at least three clips. In the clips, the team’s assistant athletic trainer, Jon Jochim, is seen looking at his Apple Watch and then passing information to outfielder Brock Holt and second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was injured at the time but in uniform. In one instance, Pedroia is then seen passing the information to Young.
While stealing the other team’s signs is an accepted part of the game, using electronic devices in the is against the rules.
The Red Sox have fired back with allegations of their own, claiming the Bronx Bombers use a camera from their YES television network to steal signs during games.
