The Apple Watch has found itself in the middle of a juicy controversy between baseball’s biggest rivals.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that the Boston Red Sox used Apple’s wearable device as part of a scheme to quickly relay stolen catcher’s signs during games against the New York Yankees, according to an MLB investigation.
After receiving a complaint from the Yankees two weeks ago that included video of a Red Sox training staff member looking at his Apple Watch in the dugout, the league analyzed its own instant replay and broadcast video to confirm the accusation.
The Red Sox, who currently lead the Yankees by 2.5 games in the American League East division, admitted that it “received signals from video replay personnel and then relayed that information to some players” for several weeks, the Times reported. But the team also on Tuesday filed its own complaint accusing the Yankees of stealing signs by using their own television network.
The Times noted that players are allowed to relay information related to catcher’s hand signals, but only using their eyes — not electronic devices. “The Red Sox seemed to shorten the communication chain — and more quickly get the information to their batters — by sending information electronically to people in the dugout,” according to the Times.
Knowing the opposing team’s catcher signs can help a batter know what pitch to expect. Sign stealing is a not new practice in baseball, but this tech-related controversy certainly adds a new element.
Not using electronic devices in the dugout is a longstanding, clearly understood rule. #RedSox could face serious sanctions.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) September 5, 2017
Red Sox Manager John Farrell said he wasn’t unware that the Apple Watch was being used to steal signs.
To clarify. Farrell knew players were trying to steal signs. He did not know there were devices being used. "I would have shut that down."
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) September 5, 2017
It’s unclear what punishments MLB will hand out. The league inked a deal with Apple last year to let teams use iPads in the dugout, though the devices do not have internet connectivity.
Sales of Apple Watch are up 50 percent from last year. Apple, which first debuted the Apple Watch in April 2015, showed a series of updates to the wearable device at its developer event in June, including the upcoming WatchOS 4 and a new Siri watch face that changes throughout the day to show data including weather, traffic, movie times and calendar events.
Of course, especially given the controversy with the New England Patriots over the years — SpyGate, DeflateGate, etc. — Twitter was immediately flush with the hot takes.
The Red Sox are scoundrels who have cheated the game but they did it to the Yankees so I'm pretty cool with it
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) September 5, 2017
What if I told you, that what you thought was a "meeting," was something much more… https://t.co/5QHqNMCYIf
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) September 5, 2017
One problem with Apple Watch is not enough compelling, must-have use cases. Scrappy Boston start up addressing https://t.co/FwC3zG9g1P
— Ina Fried (@inafried) September 5, 2017
Are there any New England sports teams that aren't evil? https://t.co/HVykyKt4W1
— Adam Serwer ? (@AdamSerwer) September 5, 2017
Cheating with an Apple Watch is the closest MLB has ever come to trying to market to millennials https://t.co/gFUqb9esw5
— Anthony Vitale (@antsvitale) September 5, 2017
I like how a NYT reporter covering the Trump-Russia case broke this Red Sox sign-stealing story.
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) September 5, 2017
The story isn't that Red Sox r accused of cheating. It's that someone finally found a biz use case for Apple Watch. https://t.co/gJx2nFdokn
— Dan Primack (@danprimack) September 5, 2017
