Astros cleared by MLB
Probe determines Indians didn’t get their signs stolen
Major League Baseball concluded the Astros were not trying to steal signs when they had an employee monitor opposing dugouts during the postseason.
The Indians filed a complaint following Game 3 of the AL Division Series after the employee was observed aiming his cellphone into the dugout and taking pictures or video. Two people familiar with the situation said the Astros tried to get a second person next to the dugout after the employee was removed by security. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The same employee was removed from an area near the Red Sox dugout before Game 1 of the ALCS.
On Wednesday, MLB issued a statement saying its department of investigations determined “that an Astros employee was monitoring the field to ensure that the opposing club was not violating any rules.”
MLB has told all clubs still in the playoffs “to refrain from these types of efforts.”
Prior to the postseason, MLB said “a number of clubs” called Commissioner Rob Manfred to express concerns about video equipment being used to steal signs. To address those worries, the commissioner instituted a new prohibition on the use of certain in-stadium cameras, beefing up MLB security at games and monitoring video rooms.
The investigation had threatened to tarnish this postseason and had cast aspersions on the defending World Series champion Astros.
General manager Jeff Luhnow said the Astros have been proactive in policing other ballparks for “suspicious activity” and the team has uncovered some “multiple” times. Luhnow said the club will abide by MLB’s guidelines.
“We were playing defense, we were not playing offense,” Luhnow said before Game 4 of the ALCS.
Stealing signs has been part of baseball since the invention of the game. Teams routinely try to gain an advantage by trying to detect patterns, whether it’s a catcher showing signs to a pitcher on the mound or a thirdbase coach relaying signs to a batter.
However, new technology may have given teams an unfair advantage as the use of high-definition, high-speed cameras allows teams to peer where they couldn’t before.
“There’s some unintended consequences that come with the advancement of technology,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “The competitive edges are so narrow. You’re trying to find everything you can. And whether that’s pitch tipping, pitch sequencing, changing your signs, changing your location of your defenders — this is a bigger topic that’s going to take a lot more time than an overnight story and concern and people’s curiosities.”