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Yes, this is about stealing signs and wait…doesn’t every team steal signs?
Seriously, isn’t it expected to try and steal signs during baseball games and that’s why catchers are always switching signs when runners get on base? Anyway, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal was apparently really offended that Ben Zobrist was stealing signs because he brought it up after Game 2 of the NLCS against the Chicago Cubs.
Grandal didn’t really have to worry about any sign stealing on Sunday at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs only got two hits against Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen. Yet, he is certain that Zobrist was getting an edge and called him out for it after the 1-0 win for the Dodgers.
Via Fox Sports:
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That’s because Grandal says the Cubs are stealing the Dodgers signs, and he knows it.
After Game 2, Grandal was asked about it and used the eighth inning of Game 1 as an example, when Ben Zobrist was on second and Addison Russell was at the plate facing Joe Blanton.
“All the sudden, Russell is not taking good swings at sliders, looking like he’s looking for a fastball and in a certain location, ” Grandal said. “Did we know Zobrist had the signs and was doing something for it? Yeah, we did …
“We are literally paranoid when it comes to men on second and they are trying to get signs. We know who is getting the signs. We know what they’re doing. We know what they do to get it.
“In the playoffs, one relayed sign could mean the difference between winning the World Series and not getting there. That’s why we have four or five different sets of signs, and we’re constantly changing.”
Ugh, OK.
The Cubs had one runner reach second base on Sunday and that was in the fifth inning, when Javier Baez and Willson Contreras had the only two hits of the night.
It doesn’t really matter if the Cubs were or weren’t stealing signs, but doesn’t this just add some bulletin board material for Joe Maddon?
Again, every team knows that every other team is trying steal signs, so Grandal bringing it up like it’s a big deal is hilarious. It just comes off as whining, but he didn’t really seem to be angry about it either, so I still don’t understand why it was brought up. It’s not like the umps are going to call the Cubs on it during games, or vice versa. It’s also weird because the Dodgers had just dominated the Cubs, so setting up an excuse for later in the series? Wut?
Anyway, Game 3 is on Tuesday. Jake Arrieta vs. Rich Hill.