The Boston Red Sox is accused of illicitly using an Apple Watch to gain the upper hand in a recent game, a Major League Baseball (MLB) investigation has reportedly found.
The Red Sox used the device to receive messages about what kind of pitch was about to be thrown, the New York Times reports.
That information was then relayed from the dug-out to the batter – giving him an advantage.
It is unclear what kind of punishment Red Sox might receive following the investigation. The team is currently top of the American League Eastern division.
The New York Yankees – the team whose complaint provoked the probe, provided video from a three-game series that took place in August.
In baseball, the catcher, crouched behind the batter, will signal to the pitcher what kind of ball should be thrown, such as a fast ball or slider.
Typically, the catcher will hold up a number of fingers to relay that message.
These signals – known as signs – would be very useful to the batter if he could see them, but he’s looking in the other direction, using only the pitcher’s posture and grip for guidance.
Stealing signs, as the practice is known, involves a team member seeing the opponent’s signal and somehow relaying that information to the batter in the short window before the ball is thrown.
The MLB investigation found the Red Sox would have an off-field person watching a camera feed of the catcher. He would then contact the dug-out via the Apple Watch, and that signal would be passed on from the dug-out to the batter.
According to the New York Times, MLB will now look to see if the Red Sox had used the technique in other games.
Stealing signs by analogue means – such as a team mate at second base seeing the catcher and revealing the signal to the batter opposite – is legal. However, using a devices such as binoculars or electronics to aid the process is not.
Teams have long used ingenious ways to steal signs, including in 1951 when the New York Giants’ Bobby Thomson hit a World Series-winning home run, a hit later dubbed the “shot heard round the world”.
It was revealed some years later that the Giants had a team member in the club house opposite using a telescope to spot signs.
Joel Sherman, a baseball columnist for the New York Post, said on Twitter that MLB must clamp down on mischievous uses of technology in the sport.
He wrote: “MLB must rethink how it polices tech use. Perhaps no electronics at all in dugout.
“Also, teams might have to rethink how signs are given on field by going to verbal signals or eliminating putting fingers down as the lone way to convey pitch selection.”
Being a famous athlete puts you in the spotlight. Because of this, every piece of your life becomes public knowledge; from the places you vacation to the people you date and even to your overall health.
Through the years, many famous baseball players have been the victim of various diseases and illnesses. Some of these baseball players were able to treat the disease while others eventually lost their battle.
Take a trip down memory lane and learn about the many diseases that have affected baseball players through the years.
Photo: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley via Instagram.
Lou Gehrig and the Ice Bucket Challenge
Lou Gehrig may just be the most famous baseball player known for a disease. After all, he has a disease named after him. Lou Gehrig, otherwise known on the field as The Iron Horse, played first base for the New York Yankees for 17 years. In 1939, Gehrig was diagnosed with ALS, or what some currently refer to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a progressive disease in which the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord become degenerate, resulting in paralysis.
Ron Santo
Ron Santo was an American baseball player for the Chicago Cubs. Santo was an All American player, earning many achievements and accolades throughout his career despite battling type 1 diabetes. In fact, Santo hid his diabetes for more than 80 percent of his career. After his retirement, he ended up having the lower half of both his knees amputated. Santo died in 2010.
Brett Butler
Brett Butler was an outfielder for the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1990s. In May 1996, Butler found out that he had squamous cell carcinoma in his tonsils, which required surgery and intensive treatment. Just four months after surgery, Butler was back on the field for the Dodgers, and even scored the winning run.
Ben Petrick
Ben Petrick is a former baseball player who had careers in both the minor and major leagues. He played for the Colorado Rockies and the Detroit Tigers from 1999 to 2004. In 2004, after noticing that his statistics and skill had fallen, he announced his retirement from baseball and disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Josh Hamilton
Whether for recreation, medical or steroidal use, many baseball players have been affected by some form of drug abuse. Josh Hamilton is the poster boy for baseball players with a drug problem. Hamilton suffered from drug addiction and alcohol abuse, and finally decided to fight his illness when confronted by his grandmother. Although he has been sober since 2004, in order to stay on track, Hamilton undergoes drug testing three times every week. And when his team achieves something great, Hamilton’s teammates opt to celebrate with ginger ale instead of alcohol to accommodate their teammate and keep him sober.
Baseball is America’s past time, and through the years, America has come to love many different players. Unfortunately, although we look up to these athletes, they’re not superheroes, and they too are affected by illness and disease just like everyone else.
Baseball movie 42 has topped the US Box office earning $27.3 million in its opening weekend.
The biopic film, starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford, tells the life story of the first black major league baseball player, Jackie Robinson.
Scary Movie 5 came in at second place with $15.2 million and The Croods took third place for a second week.
Horror remake Evil Dead, which topped the US box office last week, dropped down to fifth place.
Tom Cruise’s new film Oblivion earned $61.1 million internationally following its launch in 52 countries.
The sci-fi movie, directed by Joseph Kosinski, will compete with 42 after its US release this Friday.
Baseball movie 42 has topped the US Box office earning $27.3 million in its opening weekend
In its opening weekend, 42 set a box office record for a baseball film topping the $19.5 million debut of Brad Pitt’s Moneyball in 2011.
The momentum for the film may continue as Major League players mark the 66th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s professional debut by wearing his number, 42, on Monday.
“Think of what a tribute that is for what he accomplished. Every player wearing 42 on his back,”‘ said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.
“It’s a story that has so much emotion to it. Jackie Robinson’s life had such an influence on our country,” he added.
Guggenheim Baseball Management LLC, the consortium that includes the former basketball star Magic Johnson, is buying the LA Dodgers baseball club.
The club and owner Frank McCourt said they planned to sell the team and Dodger Stadium for $2 billion to Guggenheim Baseball Management LLC.
The sale could help the club to emerge from bankruptcy.
Frank McCourt and some affiliates of the buyers will also form a joint venture to buy the surrounding property and car parks for $150 million.
The deal is subject to approval in a federal bankruptcy court.
The business – one of the most prestigious franchises in sport – has been overseen by a bankruptcy court since June.
That followed a move in April last year by Major League Baseball, the sport’s ruling body, to take over the day-to-day running of the club following questions about its financing and a fight for ownership between Frank McCourt and his former wife Jamie.
Guggenheim Baseball Management LLC, the consortium that includes the former basketball star Magic Johnson, is buying the LA Dodgers baseball club
Frank McCourt bought the team in 2004 from the Fox division of News Corporation for $430 million. The deal also gave him ownership of Dodger Stadium and 250 acres of land that included the car parks.
The team’s debt stood at $579 million as of January 2012.
The sale announcement came shortly after Major League Baseball owners had approved three bidders for an auction of the team which was expected to start later on Wednesday.
Frank McCourt said: “This agreement with Guggenheim reflects both the strength and future potential of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and assures that the Dodgers will have new ownership with deep local roots.”
Earvin “Magic” Johnson, 52, played 13 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships and three Most Valuable Player awards.
Magic Johnson retired from the NBA in 1991 after being diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, before returning to the game and eventually retiring for good in 1996.
News Corporation’s Fox sports unit and Time Warner Cable are now expected to battle for the rights to screen the team’s games.
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