Red Sox starter Rick Porcello got rocked with three homers and five runs overall in four and a third innings last night. Even the best ones have a bad day, right?
Well, maybe it was more than that. According to the Boston Herald, the Red Sox switched up their signs in the middle of the game. Red Sox pitching coach Carl Willis was asked after the game if he thought the Indians were stealing signs and said “Yeah, you never know.”
Just now Indians manager Terry Francona was asked about the controversy:
Indians manager Terry Francona was confused by accusations that Indians were stealing signs. Quipped Tito: "We barely know our own signs."
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) October 7, 2016
These situations never get fully resolved in the moment. The Red Sox won’t explicitly accuse the Indians of stealing signs because to do so would prove that the Indians are in the Sox’ heads. The Indians are, obviously, not going to say if they’re doing it.
Kudos to Francona for a good line, though.