Game 3 of the ALCS on Monday saw Royals righty Johnny Cueto get shelled for eight earned runs in just two innings in an embarrassing loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. His explanation for such a pathetic showing? Well let’s just say that Cueto didn’t just chalk it up to a rough day at the office: he thinks Toronto was stealing signs.
Before Game 4 on Tuesday, fellow Kansas City pitcher Edinson Volquez told reporters that Cueto suspected the Blue Jays had a guy in center field stealing signs.
“He said, I think he said, they got a guy in center field,” said Volquez via Mike Axisa of CBS Sports. “You see how hard it is, he look to the center field and he see somebody do this or do that … I don’t know, he said that, but when a guy gets on second base, he said something about that too, they were giving signs to the hitter. But I don’t know.”
What makes Cueto’s suspicions all the more interesting is that the Blue Jays scored zero runs in a Game 1 loss and just three runs in a Game 2 loss, both at Kansas City. But once the series shifted back to Toronto, their bats suddenly woke up with an 11-run showing in Monday’s victory, perhaps lending credence to a theory of possible extra home-field advantage.
Furthermore, it’s not the first time the Blue Jays have been alleged to be stealing signs. The White Sox accused the team of using the notorious “Man in White” to steal signs from center field seats of the Rogers Centre back in 2010. Former Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun even recently admitted to engaging in the practice while he was a member of the team.
Maybe Cueto was simply trying to justify a putrid outing by firing up a years-old rumor in order to divert attention away from his own performance (or to see what dining on the other side of the table felt like). But with Toronto’s putative history of sign-stealing, it’s something worth keeping an eye on as the Blue Jays’ playoff run progresses.
Image Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
H/T Bleacher Report
