John Farrell denies knowing Red Sox used electronics to steal signs
John Farrell has responded to the sign stealing accusations from the Yankees, and the Red Sox manager is denying some level of wrongdoing.
According to The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham, Farrell says he knew his players were trying to steal signs, but he didn’t know there were electronic devices being used to do so. He also says he would have stopped that sort of sign stealing.
To clarify. Farrell knew players were trying to steal signs. He did not know there were devices being used. "I would have shut that down."
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) September 5, 2017
As reported by the New York Times, the Yankees filed a complaint with the league a few weeks ago in which they accused the Red Sox of stealing catcher signs during a three-game series at Fenway Park last month. MLB reportedly found the Red Sox to be guilty of using electronics to steal signs, and Boston reportedly admitted to doing so. The Sox responded by filing a complaint about the Yankees accusing the same.
Sign stealing has long been a part of the game, which is why Farrell doesn’t have a problem admitting his players were doing that. The problem comes when you use electronics to gain an edge, which the Red Sox supposedly did using replay equipment and an Apple Watch to communicate.