The Houston Astros were accused of trying to steal signs through illegal means during both the ALDS and ALCS, but the paranoia has apparently not been limited to the American League.
According to Robert Murray of The Athletic, the Milwaukee Brewers suspect that the Los Angeles Dodgers have been trying to steal their signs in the NLCS with the help of video technology. Brewers catcher Erik Kratz has openly discussed the way his team has tried to mix signals to prevent the Dodgers from picking them up with runners on second, but there have been hints that Milwaukee suspects the espionage has gone beyond what’s legal.
“You’ve seen a couple times where something looks a little bit off,” pitcher Zach Davies said. “That’s something that’s part of the game. When you start using technology and when you start using guys outside of the baseball team to try to figure out what set of signs a pitcher is using, that’s a little … that kind of crosses the line.”
While the Brewers have not come out and said it, sources told Murray they at one point noticed a Dodgers coach running from the hallway into the dugout whenever a runner reached second. That could, in theory, mean the coach was consulting a video feed and then relaying what he saw to the baserunner. While the Brewers don’t have any hard evidence, they relayed their concerns to Major League Baseball.
“They use video people to get sequences,” one source told Murray. “It’s known throughout the league. MLB knows it’s an issue.”
Whether all of these allegations we have heard are true or not, MLB knows there are some things that need to be addressed during the offseason. There has been way too much talk about cheating, and the Astros got off without penalty despite what sounded like some blatant attempts to bend the rules. Having the integrity of the game called into question is never a good thing, especially on the biggest stage.
