Several weeks ago, a letter became known that would eventually become public regarding the New York Yankees and the cheating scandal they faced back in 2017. When Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred dove into the Houston Astros and a myriad of teams using illegal sign-stealing methods, the Yankees were implicated in the process.
However, nobody knew just how much information the league had against them, but on Tuesday, some specifics from the letter for unveiled.
Here are the main takeaways, via Andy Martino of SNY:
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The letter does not implicate the Yankees in a sign-stealing scheme similar to the one for which the Houston Astros were punished, when batters received the signs in real time without the help of a runner on second base.
- It does reveal — as SNY has previously reported it would — that the Yanks used the video replay room in 2015 and 2016 to decode sign sequences and pass them to a runner on second base, who would then relay them to the batter.
- The Yankees received a fine of $100,000 for improper use of the dugout phone, a previously unreported amount.
- The letter clears the Yankees of using YES Network cameras to steal signs, which the Red Sox alleged.
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The letter does not accuse the Yankees of sign-stealing after the crucial date of Sept. 15, 2017, when Manfred announced that from that day forward electronic sign stealing would be subject to more severe punishments. In fact, the letter does not accuse the team of stealing signs at any point during the 2017 season.
Overall, it seems as if the Yankees dodged a major bullet since the team was desperately trying to keep the public from knowing what had happened. The Yankees were using their YES Network cameras to decipher catcher signs and relay them to runners on second base and then to the batters. This was far different than using a sequence of banging sounds to determine what pitch was coming, which is how the Houston Astros managed to win a World Series.
Clearly, these sign-stealing methods didn’t help the Yankees much, getting them to the ALCS but never past Houston.