Think back to the infamous 2017 Dodgers-Astros World Series for a second. It’s the same series that was stained by the Houston Astros cheating scandal. In fact, in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the Astros were engaged in a calculated setup to stack the odds in their favor by unfair means during their home games. Later, they were found guilty of all the accusations of sign stealing. Years later, the history almost repeated itself.

During the recent Dodgers-Astros face-off, a former Dodgers pitcher turned broadcaster named Orel Hershiser observed that the Astros likely knew what pitches were coming towards them. He made a remark that the way the Astros were swinging bats, it looked like they already knew what balls were directed at them. “I don’t want to open an old wound. But in some ways, they’re swinging at these breaking balls like they know what is coming,” he said.

Oh, and just for the record, the Astros brutally swept off the Dodgers as they outscored the blue crew 29-6 across three games. When Hershiser made this comment from the press box, it naturally prompted the league to think, “did the Astros do it again?”

Reflecting on the cheating accusation, Dodgers’ star Max Muncy clarified, “Do I think they know what was coming? Uh, yes, I do. Do I think they were cheating to get there? No. I think they had a tip on the pitcher, and that’s on us to clean that up. That’s not cheating. That’s part of the game,” he said while speaking on the recent Foul Territory podcast.

He added, “Good teams are going to do that. So, yes, I do think they knew what was coming, but it wasn’t because they were cheating. It was because, you know, our pitcher had a tip.” Yes, no other but a Dodger defended the Astros. More than defending them, it was more like Muncy shut down the conspiracy theories before they could spread more.

Muncy has been sidelined since July 2 due to a left knee injury. Still, he had been watching out closely for the Dodgers since then. While addressing his stance, he also claimed that the Astros picked up on tips from Dodgers’ rookie Ben Casparius.

Yet, Muncy doesn’t believe that the Astros cheated in any way. To him, reading signs on the opposing team is not unethical and is simply a part of the game.

What’s the solution for sign stealing?

Apparently the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal had such an impact on the league that it led to the invention of a solution. It’s PitchCom, which came to life in 2022. Well, for this recent controversy hovering around the Astros, it’s being said that they didn’t cheat explicitly. Rather, they just picked up tips.

Anyway, this small device is an end to all the mistrust around pitch signaling. John Hankins, who happens to be a patent attorney and engineer, explained a bit about sign stealing and the device.

In the 2017  scandal, the Astros’ catchers were caught on camera while sending signals to alert the batters of the upcoming pitch. The whole thing was revealed two years later in 2019. Later, Hankins and the team were chasing a solution for it, and they found a way to prevent any potential stealing of catchers’ signals. To find a solution for something like this was “challenging,” as admitted by Hankins.

This device is a nine-button keypad that lets the catcher signal the pitcher, who wears its receiver inside their cap. Yes, it’s not visible and secure enough, as it’s transmitted through fast radio. The pitch selected by the catcher can be heard by the pitcher in his cap.

It’s completely wireless, and all the signals are encrypted. Not just in MLB, but it’s also being used in college baseball and softball. Well, the Astros’ scandal was brutal, sure, but atleast that prompted the most important innovation.

⁣