BOSTON — Dustin Pedroia was amusing but unconvincing Wednesday afternoon when addressed sign-stealing allegations involving him and his team.
“I don't have anything to say about anything,” Pedroia said at Fenway Park, as his interview ended. “We're here to play baseball games. We've got a 3 1/2 game lead in our division. Other than that, nobody gives a [expletive]. We're trying to win baseball games."
The Red Sox second baseman did, however, have some things to say before that point, including that he was unaware of the rules for the use of electronic devices.
“I don't really know what the rule book says on that,” Pedroia said. “I know we have iPads in the dugout. So I'm not sure what the — I mean, is that a false thing too? Are we not supposed to have iPads in there?”
Pedroia might have been referencing screenshots Barstool's Dan O'Mara published showing Yankees relievers using iPads to stream games in the bullpen, not the dugout.
But surely, Pedroia does know the rules on electronic devices at this point, if he didn’t previously.
The second baseman’s always been sarcastic and dismissive. His on-field dexterity translates in interviews as well. He just doesn’t have much wiggle room here.
Boston Red Sox
If Pedroia came out and declared his innocence, he’d be taking a big risk if, in fact, he is in the wrong. The New York Times reported the Sox have already admitted to using an Apple Watch to help steal signals.
From The Times: “Red Sox assistant athletic trainer, Jon Jochim, is seen looking at his Apple Watch and then passing information to outfielder Brock Holt and second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was injured at the time but in uniform. In one instance, Pedroia is then seen passing the information to Young.”
Was Pedroia up to no good? Well, depends on whom you want to believe.
The second baseman said he was just working on getting himself healthier. That's going to be a hard one to sell.
“[MLB] had a good picture of me, Brock, and CY hanging out though,” Pedroia said. “I do know that. And I was talking to the trainer about what time I'm rehabbing the next day because I'm on the DL, I was on the DL. And they had a nice [picture] of Doug [Fister] with an earpiece in. It was his mouthguard.”
That was a reference to a CSNNE story from Wednesday, which noted that the Yankees complained to MLB because they thought Fister was using an audio device when it actuality he just had his mouthguard around his ear.
“So I mean, it's baseball, man,” Pedroia said. “We already played them 19 times. They beat us how many, 11? They beat us. I'm not going to cry to anybody about it. That's baseball. Right now we're playing the Blue Jays, we're focused on that, and whatever is talked about is talked about. You can't control that. We're just going to try to play the game we love and play to win and that's what our organization does.”
That’s not all the organization does. They countersue. Pedroia, like Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski a day earlier, pointed out there is an investigation looking into the Yankees as well.
“MLB is doing an investigation on both sides,” Pedroia said. “Obviously, I've played against the Yankees for 11 years. It's part of the game, so our adjustment to that stuff is to go out to the mound and change the signs. So, we just keep it at that. It's baseball. It's part of the game. It's been around a long time.
“I mean, we were [stealing signs] at Douglas Junior High School where I played, so I don't think this should be news to everybody. So whatever MLB [determines], I'm sure it's — I know the players on both sides I'm sure, probably don't think it's from them. But you know, whatever.”