TORONTO — Before we veer too far into baseball’s unwritten rules, let’s establish some facts no one can dispute:
• In the top of the eighth inning Monday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone got ejected.
• Shortly afterwards, when play resumed, Aaron Judge was batting. With a pitch on the way, he darted his eyes away from pitcher Jay Jackson toward the Yankees’ first-base coaching box or dugout.
• As shown on Sportsnet’s TV broadcast, it wasn’t the first time he’d done so during the at-bat.
• Moments after cameras caught Judge glancing away, he connected for his second home run of the night.
So, was there an innocent explanation for why Judge’s eyes were darting around? It’s certainly more common for players to remain focused on the pitcher as they await a pitch. Or was a Yankees coach or teammate relaying pitch types or locations? And if so, how?
First, what Judge said when asked what unfolded:
“There was a lot of chirping from our dugout, which I really didn’t like in a situation where it was a 6-0 game,” he said. “When Boonie got tossed, I was trying to save Boonie by calling time out. Like ‘hold up here.’ So, I was trying to see who was chirping in the dugout.”
“I’m looking like ‘Who’s still talking here?’” Judge continued. “It’s 6-0. Our manager got tossed. He did his job. Let’s go back to playing ball.”
Moments earlier, Boone described the events similarly:
“There was some chirping going from our side, obviously, when I got thrown out and then it continued,” he said. “I think a lot of our guys were still letting (the umpires) hear it and Judge was kind of looking over like, ‘I’m hitting here.’”
Believable? It’s possible the explanation is as simple as that, but it’s unlikely the Blue Jays’ clubhouse will accept that story at face value.
As Toronto manager John Schneider said: “Kind of odd that a hitter would be looking in that direction… he’s obviously looking in that direction for a reason.”
From a competitive standpoint, the Blue Jays must strongly consider the possibility the Yankees were able to pass information to their best hitter. In 2015-16, the Yankees broke MLB rules with the illegal use of electronic devices, a violation for which they were fined $100,000. Now a lot has changed in seven years, including most of the roster and coaching staff, and even if the Yankees did relay information to Judge, it could have been done legally. But still — better to be careful and wrong than laissez-faire and losing.
Of course, Judge wasn’t necessarily violating baseball’s rules, unusual though his glances were. As long as technology wasn’t involved, it wouldn’t be breaking MLB’s written rules to relay pitch types or pitch locations to a hitter in real-time. As for the unwritten rules, it would be considered deeply poor form to peek back at a catcher’s glove, but that’s not what appears to be happening with Judge, whose eyes don’t move that far back.
At times, first base coaches are the ones who relay vital information to hitters, according to one long-time player. Judge said that wasn’t happening here. Yet chances are good that the Blue Jays watch Yankees first base coach Travis Chapman rather closely on Tuesday, especially when the single-season American League home run record holder bats.
To be fair, Judge doesn’t need help hitting home runs and the Blue Jays didn’t play well enough to win Monday. At the same time, the next three games of this series may be far closer, and each win is meaningful in a tightly contested AL East. With that in mind, there are some steps the Blue Jays can take before first pitch Tuesday.
There will be chances to review video in case there’s a way to gain further insight about what happened in the eighth inning. Schneider said that’s going to happen before first pitch Tuesday.
Plus, the Blue Jays must guard against the possibility that their catchers — in this case Alejandro Kirk — are setting up their targets too early or too predictably. An early target opens the door to information sharing amongst the opposition while a late target and/or occasional decoy keeps the other side guessing. Along those lines, the Blue Jays must be sure Kirk’s setup doesn’t vary too noticeably based on pitch type — especially for a two-pitch pitcher like Jackson. (Chris Bassitt might be another story.)
In any case, the Yankees will be equally aware that the Blue Jays are watching them Tuesday. Gaining an advantage will be tougher, no matter what version of the story you believe. With that in mind, chances are good it’ll be “back to playing ball” for the time being, just as Judge said he wanted.