It has been a rocky weekend for Red Sox Nation. Fresh off of losing this past weekend’s 2-1 series against the New York Yankees, reports have been released stating that the Boston Red Sox used an Apple Watch to steal signs from the Yankees back in August.
According to The New York Times, these reports state that a member of the Red Sox staff was seen checking his Apple Watch in the dugout. He then relayed information to the players, who would signal the batters to let them know what kind of pitch was coming up next.
The investigation surrounding the situation has been going on since the Aug. 18-20 series at Fenway Park. While it’s no secret the Sox and Yankees are dedicated rivals, this rivalry just got a lot more interesting.
In response to the allegations, the Red Sox filed a countersuit claiming that the Yankees also cheated by using the YES Network to spy on opposing teams.
“What I can tell you is this: I take any issue that affects the play of the game on the field extremely seriously,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said regarding the incidents. “I do believe that this is a charged situation from a competitive perspective when you have the kind of rivalry that the Yankees and the Red Sox have, I guess it’s not shocking you could have charges and countercharges like this. We will conduct a thorough investigation of the charges on both sides. I want to do that quickly. I think that’s important that we get it resolved.”
This is not the first time that a major league sports team has been exposed for a cheating scandal. However, this one in particular is unique because of the use of technology. The electronic watch allowed the outside information to be transmitted instantly, which meant that the players were able to receive and adapt to the information at game speed. There is a possibility that this case may ultimately result in a new set of defined rules regarding proper use of technology for staff and players.
The outcome for both these teams has yet to be defined. The Red Sox staff admitted to the incidents and are currently awaiting punishments from league officials. What they did was undoubtably illegal, and will most likely result in the team being fined. Additionally, the team’s future draft picks could potentially be impacted. In the coming weeks, we can expect more information to be released regarding the allegations and the penalty that is to follow.
