While electronic coach-to-player communications devices stretch back to 1956 in pro football, Major League Baseball has yet to experiment with similar devices up until now. Due to a growing list of scandals related to sign stealing, in which signals and moves from the opposing team are illegally relayed, a new device, dubbed “PitchCom,” has been introduced, eliminating the need for hand signals.
The PitchCom devices will be allowed for the catcher, pitcher, and three other players to help with fielder positioning. The catcher is given a special wrist wearable with nine buttons that correspond to different pitches and zone locations. When pressed, the buttons send encrypted voice messages to the team.
In an interview, MLB Executive Theo Epstein expressed hopes that this technology will help speed up the games. “We’ve all seen what happens to the flow of the game when runners get on second base,” said Epstein. “Things grind to a halt because there’s a real cat-and-mouse game – with runners on second trying to figure out the sign sequence and get the pitch and pass it on to the hitter.”
The PitchCom technology has been tested during Spring training and approved for the regular season. Feedback given by players has been positive thus far.
“I think it was great,” New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino said in an interview with reports. “I was a little doubtful at the beginning, but when we started using it, it was really good — with a man on second, too. I would definitely like to use it in my first start. You know what pitch you’re going to throw right away.”
PitchCom pic.twitter.com/J1ua1krj18
— MIC’D UP (@micdup) April 5, 2022
Elsewhere in sports, the Los Angeles Lakers are officially eliminated from the 2021-22 NBA Playoffs.
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