The Houston Astros reportedly are in hot water over accusations of stolen signs, two months after the A's first noticed a separate suspicious incident.
Sources told Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan that during a Houston-Oakland game in late August:
A's players noticed Astros players clapping in the dugout before pitches and believed they were relaying stolen signs to pitchers in the batter's box, sources said. The A's called the league, which said it would investigate the matter. It's unclear what the result of the investigation was or whether it remains ongoing.
On Saturday, Fenway Park security kicked out a man who claimed to be working for the defending World Series champions during the third inning of Game 1 of the ALCS, Boston Metro reported Tuesday. That man was Kyle McLaughlin, according to Yahoo Sports, and the site obtained a picture showing him pointing his cell phone into the Cleveland Indians' dugout during the ALDS.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who lost to Houston in Game 7 of the World Series a year ago, believed the Astros stole signs during the Fall Classic, according to Passan. Two MLB players said they've seen Houston players hitting a trash can in the dugout during games, and believe it's a method of passing on pitchers' signals, the report said.
Passan did not identify the A's-Astros game in question, but the A's played the Astros in a three-game set on Aug. 27-29. Houston won two out of three, including an 11-4 rout in the series opener.
MLB told Metro that "We are aware of the matter, and it will be handled internally."
