Eight years since the Houston Astros scandal, but a shadow always lingers over baseball. Any lopsided score or strange play can instantly trigger that ghost of 2017. Just in May 2023, Aaron Judge faced accusations for glancing sideways before a huge home run. Then a year later, Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay hinted that the Jays were suspiciously better at home. Now, that doubt has exploded in the American League Division Series.

The Yankees and Blue Jays both entered the postseason with identical 94-68 records, so fans expected a nail-biting game between two evenly matched teams in the East. Instead, what they witnessed in Toronto was a complete demolition. After winning their first game 10-1 yesterday, they crushed the Yankees 13-7 in Game 2.

Toronto was so dominant that it created confusion among fans. Even one Twitter account with the username Los demanded a formal investigation from the league. “Not even joking @MLB please investigate the @BlueJays origination. This has another Astros incident written all over it. This doesn’t even make sense. This is fishy. They’re more than likely cheating,” the post read.

Looking at the box scores, it’s easy to see why the alarm bells are ringing. Over two games, the Blue Jays outscored the New York Yankees by a margin of 23-8, launching eight home runs against the Yankees’ one.

The Bronx Bombers, meanwhile, looked completely lost, striking out 25 times and looking nothing like a 94-win team. There’s more…

The Yankees ace, Max Fried, entered the series with a career-high 19-game winner and nearly unhittable for months, winning his final six regular-season starts. Fried even completed a shutout 6.1 inning performance in the Yankees’ first Wild Card series, where they eventually lost. But in Game 2, he gave up seven earned runs in just three innings.

But are these accusations based on real evidence or just playoff frustration? Here’s what the fan theories tell us…

How fans built their case online

The first wave of reactions came from pure shock. After watching the Bronx Bombers outduel completely, one wrote, “There is no question in my mind The Jays are stealing signs.” This feeling comes directly from the Astros playbook. Houston’s hitters in 2017 often looked impossibly confident, as if they knew the pitch. That’s exactly how Toronto’s offense looked against New York in the last two games so far.

So, another fan repeated the same feelings. “10000000% they are stealing signs Payback.”

From there, the online detectives started to connect the dots. As one fan wrote, “Not surprised the Blue Jays are cheating. Someone remind me what team was Springer on in 2017?” Blue Jays outfielder George Springer was the World Series MVP in that infamous 2017 Astros team. Though Springer later apologized for his role, the “stealing scandal” label always followed him.

Fans then moved from asking who to explaining how. “Blue Jays have a hotel in CF and could easily hide a camera there to steal signs. Very obvious what’s happening here.” This refers to the Marriott Hotel that was built into the Rogers Centre. Rooms with a perfect center-field view provide a possible hidden spot for a camera.

Finally, a fan accused, “Blue Jays have tapped into Yankees pitchcom and know what pitches are coming.” PitchCom is an encrypted device for catchers and pitchers to communicate securely. And though its creators claim it’s nearly impossible to hack, the Astros scandal taught us to suspect anything that looks fishy. And this theory only gains traction when you see Toronto’s league-best 54-27 home record.

But these theories are completely speculative and only fueled by frustration and history. Still, these accusations serve as a warning to the league. If any credible evidence of cheating emerges, Major League Baseball will be forced to investigate. And given the damage the Astros scandal did to the sport’s integrity, the consequences would likely be severe.