Astros wrongfully accuse Red Sox of relaying signs to the batter, a breakdown

Ref Snyder's up.

Red Sox are up three.

They're looking to add on more, make it a bit more of not a close game, you know?

First pitch is a ball.

Next pitch, change up.

He spikes it, 2-0 count, fastball count, gets the fastball, smokes it off the big green wall in left,

hustles into second base.

He's in there, and he says, let's put this game to bed.

Night-night, Astros.

Now Trevor Story is up, and he's looking to score that run.

Three runs become four runs.

It's a whole new ball game.

First pitch fastball swings right through it.

Next pitch, 0-1.

Fastball again, and just sends it on its way to right where Dom Smith throws it in,

and it's not really a good throw, so he hustles into second, stays there, and the run scores.

So three becomes four.

He's swimming on second, and now we've got the setup for the drama.

We've seen a lot of runners on second base peeking in at the grip and relaying that to the batter,

which is legal, and it's on the pitcher.

To change their grip, and that's what Neris is worried about here.

But from all my studying, Trevor Story is not doing that.

If I go back to the first one, you can see he's not even looking at the bag.

By the time it's over, he's putting something in his pocket.

By the time he starts delivering, and he's still checking on the second baseman

to see if they're going to back pick him or what's going on, he's not doing any signal.

Now the next pitch, you've got the same thing.

Not doing much, and I think this pitch, if you rewind this pitch,

you can see Neris is a little nervous about it.

He's checking on the runner.

That's part of the job, and I think he wants a swing here.

He says, that usually gets a chase, but he just took it.

I'm suspect, and you can see, gets the ball, and he's going to look back at Story

and be like, I'm watching you.

Are you watching me?

Okay, no, you're not really watching me.

Okay, fine.

Well, you're making me nervous, so I'm going to let you know.

I see you.

I see you.

I'm watching you.

Trevor Story says, okay.

That is one disengagement from the pitcher's mound, so he does another one,

and I got him right where I want him.

He's worried about me, not the batter.

That's what the baserunner's trying to do.

Again, Trevor Story, if we look at this, he's not even really looking.

When they're peeking in the glove, they're really looking.

They're getting closer to second.

He's trying to get a big lead and make sure that the second baseman

isn't going to run to the bag and try to back pick.

That pitch was low.

So it's a 2-1 count now.

He got fastball for a strike.

He took the splitter.

He took the changeup, so he's not chasing the chase pitch.

He's not chasing the secondary pitches.

Neris looks in, gets the sign, looks at Trevor Story.

He says, you're all I can think about.

Get back over there.

Oh, my God.

I wish I could stop thinking about you.

He says, that's two.

Two disengagements.

Okay, now Neris is trying to say, hey, dude, go.

Why don't you just go to third?

And as he's doing that, the batter isn't getting ready in the box,

because the batter has to get ready before the pitcher is ready.

Batter's not ready, so the umpire's going to say,

that's a pitch clock violation on you, the batter.

And the batter's like, what?

He's not even looking at me.

He's looking at the runner.

He's like, yeah, but you just have to be in there.

He says, that's on me.

Okay, time, time.

So he granted him a strike.

We've had two disengagements.

He got granted a strike because of his panic over the base runner.

It's actually helping him out now.

But he still is on second base, and Neris says,

I want you at third.

So he drops the ball.

It's the on-purpose balk.

Kenley Jansen, he came to our office recently.

I asked him, I said, do you think you invented

balking the runner to third on purpose?

And he was like, I don't know, maybe, yeah.

I mean, I just don't want to have to think about them.

Third base coach is loving it.

He's like, all right, stay engaged.

Now he's on third base, and now Neris is thinking, yeah,

now I'm locked in.

Now it's just me and you.

Catcher's like, all right, well, now I got to block every ball.

I mean, pass ball might change what we call, I don't know,

2-2 pitch.

Fast ball, low, taken.

3-2 pitch coming, and fast ball right in there.

92 took a little off it and made sure it was a strike.

It's fouled back.

Trevor Story's on third.

He's taking his lead.

Neris is on the bump.

He says, hey, man, I'm watching you.

I still got this ball just because you're on third.

You balked him to third to not be distracted.

You're still distracted by him.

It's all you can think about.

Anyway, you got.

Granted, the second strike, you got a foul ball anyway,

so it would have got there.

3-2 pitch, another foul ball.

3-2 again, throws the splitter, gets the ground ball.

A nice play at short, a nice pick at first.

That ends the inning.

But what happens as the inning ends, here it is from the high home.

The final out.

You can see ground ball to short.

The runner's running home.

It's not going to count.

The out's made there.

Everyone runs in.

And you can see Neris start jawing with the third base coach.

Now, this is just a total.

Total guess by me.

I could be wrong because I couldn't figure out any of the lip reading.

I don't think Trevor Story was actually relaying signs because he wasn't doing anything.

I've done maybe five videos, and I've always found the signal or what it was,

and there was nothing really there.

Neris was just super worried.

I think the third base coach was just kind of laughing at him, being like,

Dude, that was crazy.

You were so worried.

We weren't even doing anything.

We're in your head.

Got a free strike.

Well, you're still worried.

Got out of it.

I don't know.

I feel like he was just kind of laughing at him.

Again, total guess by me.

And Neris is saying, Hey, what are you laughing at?

Shut up.

You think that's funny?

And clearly, third base coach is laughing his ass off.

He thinks it's very funny.

And I think Neris is saying, Hey, shut the fuck up.

And he says, Hey, well, top of the inning.

You go over there.

You know, when you step off, he goes over there.

Who knows?

And Walker comes in.

He's like, Hey, man.

Hey, man.

Hey, man.

Everyone says Neris is like the nicest, chillest guy.

That's what I always hear about him.

Cora comes.

And he's just going to give him the wave.

Hey, get out of here.

Hey, get out of here.

Get out of here.

And then Correa comes.

He just got traded to the team.

But he feels like he's home.

He's the vet.

He's going to walk him to the dugout and be like, It's all good, man.

Don't worry about it.

They're just trying to get under your head.

Neris is like, Yeah, that's what I didn't like.

This time, I really couldn't figure it out.

I know he's upset.

I don't think Trevor Story is relaying signs.

I went to the extra cameras.

I checked that out.

But teams are doing it.

And pitchers are paranoid.

Potentially box him a third.

You don't see that.

It's kind of a fun new thing.

Kind of just a shrug.

Fun baseball.

Neris said they went to the dugouts and it was all fine.

Part of the game.

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