Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. has solution to stop sign-stealing: Throw inside at batters
Hall of Famer and Baltimore Orioles icon Cal Ripken Jr. has a simple solution to deter teams from stealing signs.
And it comes from the old-school book of unwritten baseball rules.
"In a really harsh way, you tell the (catcher) to put down a curveball (sign), the guy on second tells the hitter that a curveball is coming. And then you throw a pitch right here (as he gestures to his chin)," Ripken told CBS' Major Garrett in a recent "The Takeout" podcast.
"Then, their life flashes in front of their eyes," added Ripken. "And I will tell you that you break the trust between that sign-stealing scheme that's going on, and if you're a hitter, and that guy gives you the next sign, you gotta say, 'Hmm, I wonder if that's really going to be a fastball or a breaking ball.' And then I think you win."
Both the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox were punished earlier this spring by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred for their involvement in sign-stealing scandals. Earlier this spring, Astros manager Dusty Baker urged MLB to help protect his players from potential retaliation and to discipline opponents who hit Astros players.
"I'm depending on the league to try to put a stop to this seemingly premeditated retaliation that I'm hearing about," Baker said. "And in most instances in life, you get kind of reprimanded when you have premeditated anything. I'm just hoping that the league puts a stop to this before somebody gets hurt."