Even the ancient art of cheating in baseball is going digital these days.
Major League Baseball investigators have determined that the Boston Red Sox stole catcher hand signals in games against the New York Yankees and other teams using Apple Watches.
Stealing hand signals refers to the act of watching and decoding the hand signals the catch is using to communicate with the pitcher — and thus getting an inside line into what type of pitch is coming next, a handy piece of information for the batter at the plate.
It’s most effective when there is a runner on second base who can see the signals and provide the batter with clues. It’s also allowed in this form, when eyes are the only tool used to detect and transfer information.
Electronics, however, are a no-go. But while it’s easy to guard against a player checking his phone in a game, it’s not so easy to tell foul play is afoot when he’s just looking at his Apple Watch.
The New York Yankees filed a detailed complaint against the Red Sox — currently first place in the American League East — for doing just that. With the complaint, the Yankees included video of the Red Sox dugout which showed training staff using the Apple Watch to relay messages. Investigators corroborated the claims based on instant replay and broadcast footage.
The Red Sox then admitted that their trainers had been receiving signals from video replay personnel and relaying it to players.
It’s currently unclear what penalties the team will receive for cheating using Apple Watches.
Image credit: Keith Allison via Flickr
Source: The New York Times
