As if Manny Machado hasn't been in the spotlight enough this postseason.
The Red Sox believe they caught the Dodgers' shortstop stealing signs in Game 2 of the World Series during the fourth inning of Boston's 4-2 win over L.A.
"I wish I would have gone out there before the [Yasiel] Puig at-bat, before he came up in that situation, because I saw the whole thing," Dana LeVangie, Boston's pitching coach, told Bleacher Report on Wednesday.
Puig hit a RBI single that at-bat with Machado at second base. David Freese and Machado led off the inning with singles off of Red Sox lefty David Price.
While taking his lead at second base, Machado was seen giving multiple hand gestures.
"Was it a little exaggerated? Yeah, maybe, but I saw the whole thing," LeVangie said to Bleacher Report of Machado's motions. "I had told [Boston manager] Alex [Cora] I wanted to go [to the mound] before the Puig at-bat because I wanted to talk about some things.
"But when a guy gets a big punchout in that situation and a coach comes out to take a visit...I didn't want to f--k with the momentum there because David got a huge strikeout."
Sports
Stealing signs has been a sore subject throughout the postseason. Here's the thing though -- there's nothing wrong with what Machado did. If Machado is simply picking up on the catcher's signs or tendencies from Price, this is just part of the game. It's not like a hired person from the Dodgers was seen relaying signs or taking pictures, like what happened earlier in the year with a person who claimed to be working for the Astros.
Sports are about finding advantages against your opponent and executing that the best way possible on the field. No, that doesn't mean using an outside source or technology, like the Red Sox did last season. Yes, it means studying the other team and exploiting weaknesses.
The Red Sox should know better. This is on them, not Machado or the Dodgers. Simply find a way to make your signs better and focus on winning Game 3 of the World Series Friday night to make Giants fans happy.
