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The New York Yankees pulled to within two games of the top spot in the American League East division thanks to a series-winning Sunday victory against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees’ win was propelled by key bullpen innings from Devin Williams and David Bednar and a home run from young slugger Ben Rice. But it was also aided by some clear pitch tipping from Blue Jays future Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherzer, which the Yankees did not bother trying to hide.
“With the series hanging in the balance on Sunday, and (Max) Fried, their best pitcher on the mound, the most important game of the season will be remembered for the Yankees’ audacity,” Bob Klapisch wrote for NJ.com. “They swiped Scherzer’s pitches because he made them obvious in his glove from the stretch position.”
Fans could see that the Yankees were communicating Scherzer’s tips when outfielder Cody Bellinger signaled a coming change-up to Aaron Judge by extending his arms to either side while on the basepaths. Once Judge got to second base, he made the same gesture to Rice.
When asked to confirm that his arm signal to Judge and then from Judge to Rice were meant to communicate a coming changeup from Scherzer, Bellinger confirmed.
“That is correct,” the outfielder told Klapisch.
There is nothing against the rules about manually picking up a pitch tip and then communicating it to your teammates, as long as no electronics are involved. And the practice is barely even frowned upon, as it’s fairly common in Major League Baseball. After the game, Bellinger seemed to have no problem explaining the Yankees’ strategy.
“That’s what was happening,” Bellinger added, according to Klapisch. “We talk about it pregame, and you just go out there and look for it. If you see it, then you obviously do what you can.”
With the playoffs just a few weeks away and a chance to seize the division in front of them, the Yankees won’t ignore any opportunities for an advantage. Scherzer and the Blue Jays will have to figure out a way to be more discrete.
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