Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has apologized to the Chicago Cubs after an incident involving alleged sign-stealing during a recent game. The controversy centered on Cubs third base coach Quintin Berry, whom the Diamondbacks believed was illegally relaying signs from catcher to pitcher.
During a game in Phoenix, the Diamondbacks' dugout, including manager Lovullo, pitching coach Brian Kaplan, and bench coach Jeff Banister, vocally protested Berry's actions. Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly expressed his disapproval after the game, stating, "I think it’s a little bulls--- when it comes from a coach." He differentiated this from players on base relaying signs, which he considers "fair game."
Lovullo himself contacted Major League Baseball's league office to seek clarification on the rules. Following discussions, MLB confirmed that Berry's actions, as long as he remained within the base coach's box, were within the rules. "The third base coach and the first base coach can do whatever they want, as long as they are inside the dimensions of the base coaching box, so I stand corrected," Lovullo stated to the media after the game. He then called Cubs manager Craig Counsell to apologize, acknowledging that his team "were doing everything right."
Counsell appreciated Lovullo's gesture, noting, "I think the world of Torey. I think he runs a great ship here." He added, "So yeah, he felt like he wanted to do it, and I appreciated it."
Sign-stealing, a practice as old as baseball, remains legal as long as it does not involve illicit technological assistance. The 2017 Houston Astros scandal, where video technology was used to relay signs from the dugout, remains a prominent example of how the practice can cross into cheating and draw an asterisk on achievements. Despite advancements like pitchcom, which has replaced physical signs for some pitchers and catchers, traditional methods of sign-stealing, such as observing a pitcher's grip or a catcher's setup, are still part of the game. The intensity of the current baseball season, with teams competing for playoff spots, contributed to the heightened emotions during the incident.