Dodgers Were Accused of Sign Stealing in 2018 Per The Athletic
Recently, the Boston Red Sox of 2018 joined the list of teams being by baseball for sign-stealing.
While it’s been speculated upon that several teams in baseball use their own set of tactics, the Los Angeles Dodgers are not a team in the limelight for doing such a thing. In fact, I forgot that the Dodgers were once accused of this practice at all.
However, Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times brings about my memory. Indeed, Hernandez says the Dodgers were mentioned as sign-stealers in their own right during the 2018 NLCS when they defeated the Brewers in seven games. Hernandez references The Athletic MLB as the source, and you can see the original story in the tweet below.
There’s a theme developing this October. @ByRobertMurray reports that some in the Brewers organization suspect the Dodgers are stealing their signs: https://t.co/d8ORDXzGCd
— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) October 19, 2018
Next is the part of the story that Hernandez references, which I had forgotten.
[adace-ad id=”118525″]Some unnamed members of the Milwaukee Brewers told the Athletic during the 2018 National League Championship Series that they were concerned the Dodgers were using video to steal their signs. Members of the New York Mets said in May that they suspected Dodgers hitters knew what was coming in their four-game series they played in Los Angeles.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has remained steadfast in his insistence that his team has played by the rules.
Undeniably – I remember now thinking back on the series – hearing that the Brewers were saying this. Still, the echo chamber about sign-stealing was not what it is today. Therefore, the story quickly went by the wayside.
Finally, it’s important to remember as we laugh at Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox; that this could very well be a common practice in all of baseball.
Personally I don’t think that it makes the Dodgers 2017 and 2018 World Champions, unfortunately as I have seen some declare on social media. I do ask the question, how do you view sign-stealing in the game of baseball; and if the Dodgers did it in 2018 how do you feel about it? Let us know in the comments below.
NEXT: Kenley Jansen Talks Astros Cheating Scandal with The Athletic
They apparently weren’t very good at it because they were out cheated by Boston
Precisely!
I think MLB has been pretty clear what the red line is and that is electronics during a game and passing that info during a live game. Of course it’s much more than that but that’s the basics of it.
Now the question is will MLB when they notify everyone what the red line is and a team (Houston Astros or Boston Red Sox cross that line will teams be punished or in effect rewarded by just calling out another red line. Not to get political but Obama’s red line moved then gave cash away. Trump punished when Americans lost lives. My hope is the Astros really get hammered and the Red Sox get severely punished after already being told.
I agree. If you have a runner on second base, he’s likely going to try to catch the signs from the catcher and relay them to the hitter. It may be against the rules, but that’s how it goes. Gaylord Perry used to throw spitters too. But it’s not illegal until they actually find the foreign substance on the ball, and somewhere on the pitcher. But when you use technology like cameras to relay information into the dugout, you’ve gone beyond traditional baseball, and are clearly, and consistently breaking the rules. Just having that equipment should result in game forfeitures. But if it’s just guys on the field, and maybe a foreign substance or two on the field, it’s up to the umps to detect it and take action. Maybe the only automated umpire we need is not to call balls and strikes, but for surveillance, especially in the dugouts. No audio or video relays from or to the dugout should ever be allowed. Keep it on the field. And then stop whining about cheating and play the game.
Stealing signs has always been part of the game but from the human ability only. Any use of technology is not in the best interest of the game and never should be allowed.We’ve already taken away most of the human error factor with replay and possible ball/strike calling coming sooner than later. Allow technological sign stealing you may as well just play an electronic version on your phone or enter the teams and let a computer tell you who wins.
It is common knowledge among players and coaches that this has been going on for several years and a majority of teams have cheated. I’m not sure if the commissioner wants to admit to that or just make an example of a couple of teams.
Great article. Cheaters must pay the price. If MLB can prove the Dodgers did steal signs using video feed, then Dave Roberts, Andrew Friedman, and Stan Kasten all must be fired immediately. Cody Bellinger must forfeit his 2018 NLCS MVP. Gut the roster and rebuild the team with completely new players that will play the game fair and square.
Well that’s one way to get all the chokers out of here and the greedy conmen gone as well. This could be a blessing in disguise. Only if HOU and BOS go down with us though
Frank McCourt, is that you?
Cody Bellinger was 2019 MVP not 2018. Get your facts straight and where is your proof that Dodgers used video electronics to cheat? Nice try to deflect though
I heard the Dodgers use Occulus technology to prepared for facing the pitcher, so that they can see virtually what they might face in the batter’s box. This was brought up when Hernandez hit the 3-run homerun off of Hader in the regular season.
That is different than using video to seek out the pitch selection and then relay it to the player, but it still happens with the aid of technology off the field.
Houston and Boston won the WS looks like they did a better job at cheating. End of story
Clearly every team in the MLB “thinks” that other teams are stealing signs. Yet, every team claims they are note “stealing” signs. Lovely disconnect, eh?
This is nothing. The Dodgers were clearly picking up signs from the basebaths. There is nowhere near enough time to relay something from the dugout, to the runner, and then to the hitter in the time between when a sign is decided and the pitch thrown. The Brewers were had stymied the Dodgers that series pretty well if I remember correctly with quite a few pitchers that didn’t even end last season as starters. That particular postseason also was more of a swing and miss with hitters than swing and make contact. Frustrating as hell to watch.
Anyone can get accused of anything. But when proof of something comes to light THEN the process of tainting an achievement can begin. Unlike the Astros and Red Sox cases, all there is here is an accusation, so to me it’s not in the same league.
Anyone who has played is aware that it IS NOT against the rules for a runner to watch the catcher to see the signs. If he can pass that info on to the batter, more power to him! That’s why they put down multiple signs with a runner on second base. However, the runner takes on additional risk in doing so. It takes a certain amount of concentration to do this and he puts himself at a higher risk of being picked off or thrown out. That’s the balance. Throw in electronics, it becomes way out of balance. It’s pretty simple to me. By the way Alex Cora should be treated like Joe Jackson. Take his shoes away! You’re a jerk, Alex!
It’s just another way players study pitchers. If you watch the story of the 88 Dodgers Gibby knew what that pitch was going to be. Gibson would later recount that prior to the Series, Dodger scout Mel Didier had provided a report on Eckersley which claimed that with a 3–2 count against a left-handed hitter, one could be absolutely certain that Eckersley would throw a backdoor slider.[6] Gibson said that when the count reached 3–2, he stepped out of the batter’s box and, in his mind, could hear Didier’s voice, with its distinctive Southern drawl, reiterating that same piece of advice.[6] With that thought in mind, Gibson stepped back into the batter’s box; and thus when Eckersley did in fact throw a backdoor slider, it was exactly the pitch Gibson was expecting.
I feel like sign stealing is a game within the game and defer to Giant’s legend, Will Clark’s opinion, that it’s every team’s responsibility to make sure they’re changing up signs. It should just be assumed that the other team is trying to figure out your team’s signs. All signs, not just pitcher to catcher signs. And that it just takes a little common sense to figure out when you need to make changes to your signs.
I believe many, if not all teams are using some form of “tech” to cheat. Even just the dugout tablets.. hitters are reviewing their swings and looking for pitchers’ “tells”. According to mlb regs isn’t that using tech to cheat? And Apple & the MLB put like 15 in every dugout.
And nobody will ever convince me that the Red Sox didn’t cheat in the 2018 WS. It all just seems too convenient that 3 of the top Red Sox players follow up with leaving for the Dodgers. Joe Kelly said of his good buddy Alex Cora and the Red Sox, that “if they were cheating, they would’ve swept us”. (4-1, almost did)
Yeah, I for one do believe something got swept. I feel like the mlb is full of hypocrites, to hate on certain players, or teams (because they broke the cardinal rule, they got caught), when the entire league has a history of cheating going back further than probably what’s been recorded. And it’ll continue, that’s the main job of a player or team, to win. I can’t recall the player, but it wasn’t an Astro’s player, who said if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. Nuff said.
The two teams most suspected and accused of cheating by other MLB teams are the Dodgers and the Yankees, and yet only the Astros and the Red Sox are seriously investigated. What do the Astros and Red Sox have in common with each other and not the Dodgers and Yankees? At the time the Astros and Red Sox were under investigation, the Yankees had reached the playoffs four of the previous five seasons. Three times the Astros and once the Red Sox sent MLB’s (and the Fox networks) favorite team packing. MLB and Fox can’t stand the fact that their team hasn’t been to the World Series since 2009. If targeting the teams that stand in their way by investigating only them, weakening them with fines, suspensions and loss of draft picks, creating hostility that results in batters being thrown at as well as they and their fans being harassed and assaulted… if that will help get the Yankees into the World Series, then so be it. Watch out Tampa Bay, you could be next.
As for one of the logical reasons why the Astros and Red Sox were investigated, look no further than the fact that Alex Cora was affiliated with both teams. There is a significant difference between player(s) deciphering the opposing team’s signs by using their eyes and knowledge of the game versus employing the use of electronic measures to obtain information that was communicated by way of trash can banging and whatever else. Not comparable. As a consequence, there were fines, suspensions and loss of draft picks, and many would argue that MLB should have done much more. So, any narrative that the Astros are now victims is absurd.