Baseball fans were stunned by Red Sox sign stealing report, but not in a good way
The report on the Boston Red Sox cheating scandal has finally dropped, and it’s not what people expected it to be.
While the Houston Astros were found to have stolen signs in 2017 using technology (and communicating pitch types using the bang of a trash can lid), the transgressions of the Red Sox were far less. MLB found that the Red Sox’s sign stealing was limited to a replay room employee, JT Watkins, and that Red Sox players and coaches were mostly unaware of what Watkins was doing.
Fans were stunned by the report, because the entire cheating scheme was pinned on a single hourly employee who has been suspended for the 2020 season. People found it hard to believe that players were unaware and uninvolved, and even harder to believe that the Red Sox got off with a much, much lighter punishment than the Astros.
But I thought all teams were doing it. How come just the Astros and Red Sox received punishments?
— Phil Hughes (@PJHughes45) April 22, 2020
Yeah, you totally had to throw the book at that video replay operator for the Red Sox, given how he brutally dragged, hog-tied, and forced Red Sox players to use in-game video against their will. So much evil in this world.
— DSzymborski (@DSzymborski) April 22, 2020
The Red Sox with such a little slap on the wrist pic.twitter.com/XsFjTaju8a
— KC Bubba (@bdentrek) April 22, 2020
look guys the Red Sox only cheated in situations where it was most advantageous for them to cheat pic.twitter.com/REWhpgvYZq
— Bradford William Davis (@_beewilly) April 22, 2020
Manfred really crushed the Red Sox... with a foam mallet https://t.co/Kr7LimbLhP
— Jay Jaffe (@jay_jaffe) April 22, 2020
Anyway don't cheat to win the World Series, everyone, you might have to lose a draft pick.
— Marc Normandin (@Marc_Normandin) April 22, 2020
MLB has determined that the mastermind and sole actor behind Boston's sign-stealing scheme is that guy from Breaking Bad who will go to jail for money
— Michael Baumann (@MichaelBaumann) April 22, 2020
Wow, this plan worked great in the regular season! We won 108 games! Guess we'd better stop in the playoffs though. That would be wrong
— Covid Chicken Puppet (@chicken__puppet) April 22, 2020
Absolutely. This is all over by the afternoon and it’s all rainbows and unicorns. https://t.co/pRLc6zjE5n
— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) April 22, 2020
Astros fans saying the Red Sox cheated and should get their World Series revoked pic.twitter.com/hYYQ4OuNLq
— Stick2Sports Podcast (@stick2sports__) April 22, 2020
I am curious about the total lack of culpability for putting employees in a position described by the commissioner as "very difficult" and which I would describe as "no-win" for anyone who wants to keep their job. A practice that was apparently widespread. pic.twitter.com/KQMhTCK3LR
— Hannah Keyser (@HannahRKeyser) April 22, 2020
MLB suspends Cora for 2020? Buddy, we’re all suspended for 2020.
— Seize the means of run production (@sydrpfp) April 22, 2020
Exactly RT @YankeeSource: The MLB handled both the Astros and Red Sox penalties as expected. What that really means is teams will continue to find new unique ways to cheat.
— Matt (@Return0fTheMatt) April 22, 2020
Ah, we're showing "good faith" to a team that's been caught breaking the same rule twice because they're trying really hard not to cheat? #RedSox
— Jay J. (@el_hombre_rojo) April 22, 2020
Ah yes, shame on that ONE GUY in the Red Sox organization who cheated. That ONE PERSON is definitely the ONLY PERSON in the entire organization who did it. Definitely not the manager who was also a coach on the biggest cheating scandal of this generation.
— BYB Cam (@TTownTiger) April 22, 2020
MLB has two of their last three world champions cheat and they give some of the lightest punishments you can imagine. If the sport isn’t going to prioritize the integrity of the game I won’t either.
— Randy (@pamsson) April 22, 2020
More from Yahoo Sports:
