In the fourth inning of a recent game, José Berríos found himself in a strange spot when Cal Raleigh, nicknamed “Big Dumper,” reached first on a tough infield single. As the inning unfolded, Berríos gave up a walk to put two on with one out. Then, things got weird. It looked like Cal was tipping pitches to his teammates from second base. He had a quiet but visible system—if his right arm dangled, it signaled a fastball; left arm dangling meant something off-speed. The signal wasn’t subtle, and Berríos seemed to figure it out quickly.
After a strikeout, the pitching coach called for a mound visit. That’s when it became clear they were on to Cal. The coach huddled with the infield and pointed out the sign-stealing. The pitcher and shortstop both looked in Cal’s direction, trying to catch him in the act, but didn’t exactly play it cool. Cal kept giving signals, but his teammates didn’t seem to pick them up. Rowdy Tellez appeared unprepared for a changeup and went down swinging.
After the inning, Berríos confronted Cal on the field. Nothing escalated, but Berríos made it clear he saw what was happening and wasn’t happy about it. Relaying signs from second base is legal as long as it’s not done with tech, but that doesn’t mean pitchers have to like it. Cal shrugged it off, but it added a layer of tension to the inning. The video finished with a closer look at pitch grips—specifically the different finger placements for a changeup and a breaking ball—and how spin and pressure affect the ball’s movement. The whole thing served as a mini lesson on both pitch mechanics and the chess match between pitchers and runners on second.