San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb (29) stopped his delivery and looked toward second base. The opponent at whom Webb suddenly shouted in protest was a person surnamed Kim (27·LA Dodgers).
On the 24th (Korean time) at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, the Dodgers–San Francisco rivalry game. With two outs and a runner on second in the fourth inning, Kim drove Webb's first-pitch high fastball to left for an RBI single. Runner on second Max Muncy sprinted home, and the Dodgers took a 3-0 lead.
With Alex Freeland's walk leaving runners at first and second with two outs, before throwing his first pitch to Shohei Ohtani the San Francisco catcher Patrick Bailey motioned toward second base. Webb, who had taken his foot off the rubber, looked at the runner on second, Kim, and shouted.
At that moment, Dodgers broadcaster SportsNet LA caster Joe Davis said, "Web is shouting at Kim. He suspects Kim is passing signs (to the batter)." Orel Hershiser, a 1988 Dodgers World Series champion and former Cy Young Award pitcher turned analyst, said, "A runner on second can convey pitch location very subtly. It doesn't have to be in an obvious way," explaining that Kim's movements were noticeable to the opposing team.
Davis asked, "Isn't this also part of the game and part of the craft, a fair game?" and Hershiser agreed, saying, "Part of the game." Davis jabbed Webb, saying, "If pitchers don't like it, they can create a better system so signs can't be stolen precisely."
Hershiser said, "You can use a reverse shift with the catcher. The catcher can sit inside and move outside, or sit in the middle and move late," and added, "(The runner on second) stands straight and turns his head in the direction the catcher moves. He lets the batter know where the catcher is. You can also give signals by touching your belt, and there are countless methods."
A runner on second conveying information to the batter is not a rules violation. Overtly passing signs falls into an unwritten rule, and preventing sign theft is also a skill. Teams try to steal signs invisibly and change them on the field while engaging in a battle of wits. A pitcher annoyed by a runner on second sometimes intentionally balks to send him to third.
Since pitch-com systems were introduced in Major League Baseball in 2022, catchers no longer need to send signs to pitchers with hand signals, and sign stealing by runners on second became virtually impossible. However, depending on where the catcher sits, a runner on second can still convey pitch location, and observant runners can identify the pitch type by the pitcher's glove position and how he grips the ball.
Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages is known as a player who is good at stealing signs in this way. Last year in Game 1 of the division series against the Philadelphia Phillies, with two outs and runners on first and second in the seventh inning, runner on second Pages suddenly raised his right arm, and batter Teoscar Hernández drove Phillies left-hander Matt Strahm's four-seam fastball for a go-ahead three-run homer. Pages denied it was sign stealing, but he showed similar behavior on second base several times this year as well.
Meanwhile, Webb struck out Ohtani swinging after shouting at Kim and finished the fourth inning without allowing further runs. But the third run he gave up after the unexpected blow from the No. 8 hitter Kim was inevitably regrettable. Webb, who pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits, two walks, one hit by pitch, five strikeouts and three runs, suffered his third loss of the season (2-2) after receiving no offensive support.
That day Webb also drew attention by throwing at Dalton Rushing. After Rushing was accused of insulting Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco) on the 22nd, Webb threw two consecutive four-seam fastballs inside on the first and second pitches in the sixth inning with one out and no runners, hitting him. After the game Webb said of hitting Rushing with a pitch, "I threw an inside fastball," and added, "It always feels special to face the Dodgers. It's one of the best rivalries in sports. I'm really happy that we showed competitiveness over the three games. Today didn't go how we wanted, but the clubhouse atmosphere was good."
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