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#pounditSaturday, January 11, 2025

Red Sox apologize for ‘unacceptable’ violations, sign stealing

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The Boston Red Sox were likely relieved when Major League Baseball announced its findings from the investigation into the team’s sign-stealing antics, but the organization has still issued an apology.

After MLB commissioner Rob Manfred released his report, Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy issued a statement saying any violation of rules is “unacceptable” and apologizing to fans and the league. Kennedy did, however, note that the entire Red Sox coaching staff and most of the players from 2018 were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Many initially thought MLB would determine that the Red Sox were guilty of operating the same type of sign-stealing scheme as the Astros, especially since former manager Alex Cora was painted as the mastermind behind what went on in Houston. Instead, the league found that a video replay system operator used the replay room during some games to share information with players. The information was only useful when a runner was on second base, and MLB says the entire coaching staff and most players were not directly involved.

There was initially some speculation that the Red Sox could bring Cora back in 2021 if MLB cleared him in Boston’s investigation, but a move the team made on Wednesday all but rules that out.