The Chicago Cubs say they have not been stealing signs from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, and they have two simple reasons for that. For starters, they don’t know how. And, perhaps more importantly, they have hardly had anyone on base.
Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal said this week that he knows for a fact Ben Zobrist was relaying signs to Addison Russell when the Cubs infielder led off an inning with a double in Game 1. Zobrist finds that humorous.
This is hilarious….umm…no I was not stealing signs. Glad you think my baseball IQ is that high. https://t.co/2XMFmQJS5i
— Ben Zobrist (@benzobrist18) October 18, 2016
Russell has no idea how he got dragged into the mix, either, since he hasn’t even been on base during the NLCS. In fact, he has been on base once in six playoff games thus far.
Addison Russell on Yasmani Grandal's accusation of #Cubs stealing signs: "I don't think I've even been on base so how can I steal signs?"
— Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) October 18, 2016
For what it’s worth, Grandal claims Russell was the one receiving the signs from Zobrist, not the one stealing them. When asked if the Cubs have been picking up on signs, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he would not be surprised.
As we noted before, attempting to steal signs is very much a part of the game. That part of the game becomes magnified in intense situations like the postseason, and the Cleveland Indians have also been accused of it. They made mention of that when they took a shot at Jose Bautista with this tweet on Monday.
