Oakland Athletics Reported Suspicions Red Sox Were Stealing Signs During 2016 Series at Fenway
By Jackson Thompson
Complaints and accusations continue to pour in around baseball in the wake of the Astros' cheating scandal. Now, the Oakland Athletics are getting involved with a claim that's a little out of left field, predating any previously registered indiscretions.
According to Peter Gammons, the Athletics complained to MLB about suspicions of potential sign stealing by the Boston Red Sox during a three-game series at Fenway in May of 2016, well before Alex Cora's hiring. The Red Sox swept the series, scoring 40 runs combined throughout the three games.
The Athletics did complain to MLB about suspicions that the Red Sox knew everything that was coming at Fenway after 14-7, 13-5, 13-3 beatings. Series was May 9-10-11, 2016
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) January 26, 2020
It's worth noting that this series took place one year before the Astros cheating occurred, and two years before the Red Sox hired sign-stealing technology mastermind Alex Cora as the club's manager.
During the series, Boston hitters combined for a .403 batting average with 48 hits, 13 walks and 20 strikeouts, numbers that are well above average for any three-game series.
The 2016 Red Sox boasted the best offense in baseball, scoring 70 more runs than that year's World Series champion Chicago Cubs. They were, however, only the second-best offensive team at home, while still playing at a high-level away from Fenway as the third-best offensive team on the road.
The Athletics might be reaching with this one, but in this sensitive time for the integrity of baseball, everything is under review. Any complaint about a team involved in the scandal is particularly worth investigating, and it's clear Oakland's sensors were tripped, in some way, back in 2016.