From July to August, the Boston Red Sox were one of the hottest teams in MLB. They collected multiple win streaks, including a 10-game heater they carried into the All-Star break, cut down on their strikeouts and got improved pitching from Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito to back it all up.
But some teams and fans are worried Boston didn't make its judgments naturally. The Red Sox have twice been accused of stealing signs during their win streak — once by Houston Astros reliever Hector Neris and once against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
The Astros visited Fenway Park in the first days of August, and Neris entered their August 2 game in the bottom of the seventh inning with a 6-3 Red Sox lead. Trevor Story doubled off Neris and had a perfect view as he readied his pitches. Story relayed the grips he saw to Carlos Narváez at the plate, then Neris balked on purpose to advance him to third base. When the inning ended, Neris yelled at Red Sox third base coach Kyle Hudson, and the benches cleared.
Boston and San Diego squared off two series later, and some eagle-eyed fans noticed the Red Sox examining pictures of reliever Robert Suarez on the mound with an iPad in the dugout. When he comes set, his grip reveals whether he'll throw a fastball or a changeup.
Many fans and opposing teams have taken issue with the Red Sox's observations, but everything they've done (at least, that's been shown) is entirely legal. Players are allowed to relay signs from the base paths in real time, and Boston's iPad images of Suarez used a TV angle of his setup from another game.
Red Sox accused of stealing signs by multiple opponents, fans around the league
Cameras got an angle of a Red Sox coach showing images of the difference between Padres reliever Robert Suarez's setup when he's about to throw a fastball or a changeup pic.twitter.com/xWoA65Sy4X
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 10, 2025
During an appearance on the "Foul Territory" podcast on August 11, reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal gave his thoughts on teams taking advantage of opposing pitchers tipping.
“Boston said they’d like to do the fake tip stuff and we just make sure nothing is going on," Skubal said. "But as far as getting the run signs from second base, if the pitcher is doing something drastically different with their glove, or maybe they look down or something. Or look down twice, it’s always a fastball. I think that’s fair game. I think that’s part of the game of baseball.”
Mostly, though, Skubal emphasized the importance of not tipping pitches. If opposing teams can see differences in pitchers' grips and postures in real time, they should take advantage. It's hard to argue that the Red Sox or other clubs have been stealing signs when the pitchers give them away for free.
The burden to conceal what pitch is coming falls on more than just the pitcher. Boston got into a confrontation with Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson earlier this year after Red Sox first base coach José Flores noticed catcher Logan O'Hoppe set his feet differently to receive different pitches. Anderson confronted Flores a few days later, but his actions were perfectly legal.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has a long history with cheating and accusations around MLB, but every team relays signs when it can within legal means. Taking advantage of available information isn't cheating.