The Houston Astros this week were once again accused of stealing signs during a playoff series, but they are not going to face any penalties from Major League Baseball.
A report on Wednesday claimed some members of the New York Yankees believed the Astros were using a whistling sound from the dugout to relay potential pitch types to their hitters during Game 1 of the ALCS Saturday night. MLB officials investigated the claims and determined the Astros did not break any league rules, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
As first reported by @martinonyc, the #Yankees suspected the #Astros used a whistling sound from their dugout in Game 1 of the ALCS as a way to convey signs to hitters. Per sources, MLB investigated and found Astros did not engage in any activities prohibited by MLB policies.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 17, 2019
Teams are prohibited from signaling to hitters from the dugout through whistling or other means. MLB had an official in the camera well next to the #Astros’ dugout in G1 and one in the back of the dugout in G2. Neither officials nor umpires heard whistling. #Yankees won G1, 7-0.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 17, 2019
A lot of sign-stealing techniques are a violation of baseball’s unwritten rules but not actually prohibited. Opponents believe the Astros have pushed the envelope in recent years, as they were accused of similar antics when they played the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS last year. They lost that series.
The Astros scored three runs in the first two games of the ALCS and had their most success at the plate during Game 3, when no sounds were observed coming from their dugout. Whatever they were allegedly trying to do doesn’t appear to have worked, but there have been indications that people around baseball want the league to come down on them at some point. Like we have seen with the New England Patriots in the NFL, the paranoia may actually start to work in their favor at some point.
