Last week, a tense pregame altercation occurred between the Los Angeles Angels and the Boston Red Sox, reportedly linked to sign stealing, with new details emerging to clarify the situation.
Before last Wednesday’s game at Fenway Park, players and coaches from both teams exchanged words. The confrontation seemed to be sparked by Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson, who said something to Red Sox first base coach Jose Flores.
Subsequent reports indicated that Anderson accused Flores of stealing signs during his previous start against Boston on Monday night. In that game, Anderson surrendered five runs on seven hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings, despite initially pitching well, allowing only one run through the first four innings before struggling in the fifth.
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe may have been tipping
If Flores was indeed stealing signs and passing them to the batters, a key question arises about how he was obtaining that information. It appears that Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe may have unintentionally been revealing his signals.
Jimmy O’Brien, known as Jomboy, examined the footage from Anderson’s game against the Red Sox and believes he may have found the trigger for the conflict. He observed a moment when Flores stood completely still near first base while Anderson pitched a fastball but started heading toward home plate right before Anderson threw a changeup.
Flores seemed to have realized that O’Hoppe set up differently when preparing to catch a fastball compared to a changeup. His movement toward home plate might have served as a signal to right-handed batters, who would have a clear line of sight to first base.
You can check out Jomboy’s complete analysis:
Was it illegal?
It seems that Flores and the Red Sox did not utilize any technology to help with sign stealing. Rather, Flores or someone else in the Boston dugout noticed that O’Hoppe was tipping his pitches. Teams are constantly on the lookout for signs of pitch-tipping to gain an edge.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has been involved in sign-stealing controversies since his time as an assistant coach with the Houston Astros, but it’s unlikely that MLB will take action regarding this latest incident. O’Hoppe and the Angels need to work on protecting their signals more effectively.
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