MLB probes red light mystery
NEW YORK — It is still a mystery. After a red light appeared at least three times in the batter’s eye at Yankee Stadium during the Bombers’ win over the Red Sox Sunday night, MLB contacted the team to try and identify what happened. The league “looked into it thoroughly” and “found no evidence of rules violations by either club,” a league source told the Daily News. Therefore the league considers this incident closed, the source said.
The Yankees had their stadium operations personnel review numerous in-stadium security cameras to try and find the source. They were not able to definitively discover the source, but after reviewing the tapes believe it was one or possibly more fans with a cell phone. They believe the red light came from an app.
There was no clear video of the lights, which appeared in the windows in center field as Red Sox manager Alex Cora described it. Cora, who coincidentally served a one-year suspension because of his involvement with the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, said Sunday night it was no big deal. But it was weird.
The game was delayed momen
tarily in the seventh inning when Boston catcher Christian Vazquez popped up out of his crouch during a DJ Lemahieu at-bat and told home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez he saw something.
Umpires talked to the grounds crew and stadium security was out above the batter’s eye before the end of the inning. This obviously would raise a catcher’s concern considering the sensitivity to in-stadium signals after the Astros’ scheme.
And the league and the Yankees wanted to try and figure out what happened.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday night that his catcher Gary Sanchez saw it when he was behind the plate as well.
“They said there was a red light that flashed, that was my understanding that a red light flashed when the pitch went,” Boone said. “Right away Gary said something to us like it happened when he was behind the plate, too. So I don’t know what it was or where it came from. I’m sure we’ll try and get an explanation.”
The national ESPN broadcast showed a still shot of a light that seemed to be coming from a cell phone two levels above the actual batter’s eye.
Late Tuesday result: Aroldis Chapman allowed a run in the ninth inning before recording his first save in over a month, and the Yankees hit four homers to power past the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4 on Tuesday night.
Brett Gardner hit a go-ahead homer in the fifth inning before Gary Sánchez, Giancarlo Stanton and Estevan Florial also connected in the final three innings for the Yankees, who moved within seven games of AL East-leading Boston.
The struggling Chapman, who entered with a 10.80 ERA in his last 15 appearances, struck out Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins and Didi Gregorius — while also giving up a solo homer to Andrew Mccutchen — to convert his 17th save in 21 opportunities. It was Chapman’s first save since getting a game-ending triple play against Oakland on June 20.
“Another really good step forward,” manager Aaron Boone said.
It was also his first save opportunity since allowing three runs without getting an out in the seventh inning in the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets on July 4.
He had made three scoreless appearances in low-leverage situations.