MLB claims it wants to police sign-stealing and subterfuge. Yet, it never investigates the Yankees.
The latest Yankees cheating scandal emerged last weekend, when the Mets accused them of whistling before pitches to steal signs. The Yankees pleaded their innocence, claiming reliever Wandy Peralta was whistling to create some energy in their lethargic dugout.
But that explanation can be questioned with a review of the tape. There certainly appeared to be some loud whistling before Aaron Judge cracked a game-tying three-run homer for the Yankees in their win Monday over Minnesota — just their fourth victory over their last 18 games.
Another Twitter user spliced together apparent instances of Yankees players whistling to tip off their teammates about what to expect.
While Mets manager Luis Rojas says he doesn’t plan to report the Yankees to MLB, his players seem to believe there was something nefarious going on at Citi Field. When shortstop Francisco Lindor smacked his second home run Sunday, he proceeded to whistle as he rounded the bases.
Later, when Giancarlo Stanton blasted a home run, the slugger wagged his finger at Lindor. Seconds later, the benches cleared.
The Yankees certainly seemed to take offense to Lindor’s taunt, which is a weird reaction if you’re doing nothing wrong.
There is a multi-year history of MLB downplaying cheating accusations against the Yankees. When The Athletic broke the story about the Red Sox using their video room to steal signs in 2018, there was also the nugget about the Yankees using the “video replay room to learn other teams' sign sequences,” according to sources.
The Red Sox wound up being investigated, while the Yankees weren’t. In 2017, MLB issued fines to both the Red Sox and Yankees about using electronics to steal signs.
Following those incidents, MLB warned teams it would come down harshly on teams using electronics to seal signs. Former first baseman Logan Morrison, who played in the Yankees organization for a portion of the 2019 season (43 games at Triple-A), suggested they continued their alleged practices following Manfred’s memo.
“I know from first hand accounts that the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros, and Red Sox all have used film to pick signs,” he told NJ Media in January 2020.
Yet, there was no follow-up look into the Yankees. Team president Randy Levine has lobbied for Manfred’s 2017 letter to Brian Cashman detailing “more serious” sign-stealing tactics to remain sealed.
Again, not exactly the actions of an innocent party.
For years, credible cheating allegations have swirled around the Yankees. The weekend’s whistling is only the latest.
On “The Greg Hill Show” Tuesday, Lou Merloni said he thinks MLB lacks any desire to look into the Yankees, arguably the league’s most premier franchise.
“I still think things go on in the game. I still think people look for an advantage, especially when you’re really desperate —I don’t know, [win] two out of the 15 games and see a total collapse like nothing we’ve seen before,” he said. “I think Major League Baseball let them off the hook, and they went after everybody else, and just stopped investigating everything when it came to the Yankees. So here we are. I think they’re just as guilty as everybody else, but don’t get caught.”
Even with all the whistling, the Yankees still keep losing. That’s the most pathetic detail of all.
