The Red Sox tried to get creative in a tight ninth inning against the Padres. Down one with a runner on, they attempted to steal signs once their man reached second. After a hit tied the game and kept pressure on, coaches called their rookie over for a quick dugout meeting. Instead of standard advice, they handed him an iPad showing side-by-side glove setups from the Padres pitcher. One image was a fastball, the other a changeup. The difference was subtle: a slightly higher and fuller hand position tipped the changeup grip.
The Red Sox hoped to use this to gain an edge, but it didn’t amount to much. The runner on second, Anthony, didn’t appear to signal anything. Bregman at the plate didn’t adjust his approach or take pitches in a way that suggested he knew what was coming. The pitcher mixed in fastballs, sinkers, and changeups, but there weren’t any obvious reactions or tells from the offense that indicated they had the pitches. Trevor Story had a chance to drive in the go-ahead run but saw almost all fastballs and struck out.
Despite all the preparation and visuals, the attempted sign relaying didn’t seem to play a factor. The runner either couldn’t spot the grip differences in real time or chose not to risk misunderstanding the cues. Still, this moment shows how thin the margins are. Teams are constantly hunting for microscopic clues, and even the possibility of catching a glimpse of a grip can make a difference. This time, it didn’t. But the idea that teams hand over fresh scouting visuals mid-game shows how far in-game strategy has evolved.