Boston Red Sox Used Apple Watches to Steal Catcher Hand Signals

The Boston Red Sox have been using Apple Watches to steal catcher hand signals used by catchers of the opposing team., reports the New York Times.

Investigators for Major League Baseball have determined that the Boston Red Sox, who are in first place in the American League East and likely headed to the playoffs, executed a scheme to illicitly steal hand signals from opponents’ catchers in games against the second-place Yankees and other teams, according to several people briefed on the matter.


An inquiry was launched into the matter about two weeks ago after Yankees' general manager Brian Cashman filed a complaint with the commissioner's office. The complaint included video of a member of the Red Sox training staff looking at his Apple Watch in the dugout and then relaying a message to players. After corroborating the claims based on video used for instant replay and broadcasts, the commissioner's office confronted the Red Sox who admitted their trainers received signals from video replay personnel and relayed that to some players. The operation had been in place for at least several weeks.

The Red Sox responded to the investigation by filing a complaint against the Yankees, claiming that the team uses a camera from its television network, YES, exclusively to steal signs during games.

It's unclear if Commissioner Rob Manfred plans to issue penalties against the Red Sox or whether he will order a more in depth investigation into either complaint.

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