Sports | September 6, 2017 5:00 am

Major League Baseball Finds That Boston Red Sox Used Apple Watches to Cheat

The New York Times reports the team used technology to illicitly steal hand signals in games.

A ball glove and cap of the Boston Red Sox in the dugout during a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 3, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

By Tom Anderson

Technology, specifically the Apple Watch, has taken the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry to another level.

Major League Baseball investigators have found evidence that the Boston Red Sox have used Apple Watches to illicitly steal the hand signals from catchers on the Yankees and other teams, according to the New York Times.

The Red Sox, who are first in the American League East, declined to comment to the Times about the league investigation.

The inquiry was started by the league two weeks ago when Brian Cashman, general manager of the Yankees, submitted a complaint with a video of the Red Sox dugout during a three-game series last month. The Times reports that Red Sox trainers confessed to receiving signals from video-replay staff and showed that information to some players.

The Red Sox have filed a complaint against the Yankees, who are in second place in the American League East, that the team uses cameras from its YES television network to steal signs during its games, according to the Times.

A spokesman for Major League Baseball declined to comment to the Times on the Red Sox investigation or its complaint against the Yankees. So it is uncertain what penalties, if any, these teams face for their actions.