Another subplot has been brought into play in an already-intriguing pitch-tipping allegation in the 2025 ALDS. John Schiender and Co. are in the loop about Seranthony Domínguez, who allegedly appeared to be tipping his splitter against the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS on Sunday. While Schiender and the team are checking whether Dominguez is signaling his pitches or not, a New York reporter has subtly brought a new narrative into the case.

The video surfaced on Monday, where Yankees sensation Aaron Judge was seen tapping his helmet on three straight splitters to wrap up Ben Rice’s ninth-inning at-bat against the Blue Jays’ righty Seranthony Dominguez.

With Judge gesturing from second base, Rice fouled off the first splitter, then took the next two for balls to earn a walk. When asked about the viral clip, Schneider said, “Yeah, looking at it.” However, in the wake of this concern, seasoned Yankees beat reporter Andy Martino highlighted a psychological edge.

“One thing I can tell you for a fact is that sometimes Yankees pretend they have something on a pitcher when they don’t. Why not make them all paranoid, right? Other times they do have a tell.” Martino is insisting on a strategic tactic the Yankees use at times. According to him, the Yankees don’t always have concrete evidence of a pitcher’s tell.

But this is not the first time the Yankees have taken advantage of Blue Jays pitchers in that way.

On September 7, Ben Rice had slammed a three-run homer off Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer, with Judge also standing at second. It was Cody Bellinger in that instance. Belly was on first base and relayed the pitch to Judge. And Aaron Judge seamlessly signaled to Rice about the upcoming changeup.

In the aftermath, Schneider and Scherzer both acknowledged the veteran right-hander was indeed tipping his pitches. In the same span, Schneider even acknowledged the Yankees’ abilities in picking up pitches.

“They’re good at it.”

Yet, it’s not a one-sided affair.

Fans noticed that across the last two games, the Blue Jays were getting more contact on the ball than expected. And then they started to accuse them of cheating.

Yankees’ longtime loyalist defends the Blue Jays from cheating accusations

When the voices started getting louder on the Blue Jays’ cheating narrative, surprisingly, it was Yankees loyalist Michael Kay who stood up for John Schneider and Co.

During his recent show, MLB insider and play-by-play announcer Michael Kay spoke about the accusations against the Blue Jays. “They’re kind of intimating that there’s something untoward going on at the home ballpark that the Blue Jays play… If you think that something is happening, come out and say it. Give me specifics. Otherwise, shut up and play better…”

Fans started flooding X with unsubstantiated claims right after the Blue Jays’ commanding 13-7 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS. With no evidence, some tweets insisted that the Blue Jays’ performance looked like the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal. They mounted calls for an MLB investigation.

But all these claims are nothing but baseless speculations so far. And that’s when Michael Kay had to step up.

Kay further emphasized that fans are calling out a team that has played amazing baseball since the beginning of the season. “They’ve done a really, really good job playing baseball. They don’t strike out… unless you can prove it, shut up. Don’t hint at it. That’s not fair to the Blue Jays.”

The Blue Jays’ dominance this season is pretty evident. They led the league with the fewest strikeouts per game at 6.74. They’ve had a disciplined approach at the plate. And not to forget, their offensive prowess is underscored by a .265 team batting average and a .761 OPS.

In the postseason, too, they’ve continued this trend.

All in all, Michael Kay wanted to make it clear that the Blue Jays’ consistent discipline and offensive dominance are something they’ve worked on over time. It’s not some secret trick fans are insisting on.