Recently, the Boston Red Sox of 2018 joined the list of teams being by baseball for sign-stealing.
While it’s been speculated upon that several teams in baseball use their own set of tactics, the Los Angeles Dodgers are not a team in the limelight for doing such a thing. In fact, I forgot that the Dodgers were once accused of this practice at all.
However, Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times brings about my memory. Indeed, Hernandez says the Dodgers were mentioned as sign-stealers in their own right during the 2018 NLCS when they defeated the Brewers in seven games. Hernandez references The Athletic MLB as the source, and you can see the original story in the tweet below.
There’s a theme developing this October. @ByRobertMurray reports that some in the Brewers organization suspect the Dodgers are stealing their signs: https://t.co/d8ORDXzGCd
— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) October 19, 2018
Next is the part of the story that Hernandez references, which I had forgotten.
Some unnamed members of the Milwaukee Brewers told the Athletic during the 2018 National League Championship Series that they were concerned the Dodgers were using video to steal their signs. Members of the New York Mets said in May that they suspected Dodgers hitters knew what was coming in their four-game series they played in Los Angeles.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has remained steadfast in his insistence that his team has played by the rules.
Undeniably – I remember now thinking back on the series – hearing that the Brewers were saying this. Still, the echo chamber about sign-stealing was not what it is today. Therefore, the story quickly went by the wayside.
Finally, it’s important to remember as we laugh at Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox; that this could very well be a common practice in all of baseball.
Personally I don’t think that it makes the Dodgers 2017 and 2018 World Champions, unfortunately as I have seen some declare on social media. I do ask the question, how do you view sign-stealing in the game of baseball; and if the Dodgers did it in 2018 how do you feel about it? Let us know in the comments below.
NEXT: Kenley Jansen Talks Astros Cheating Scandal with The Athletic
