In an effort to cut down on sign-stealing, MLB instituted the PitchCom as an option for teams in 2022. The system allows the pitcher and catcher to communicate calls through an earpiece and wristband — rather than the catcher showing fingers to call pitches.
Like anything with technology, the system isn’t perfect. It malfunctions on occasion, and some pitchers have even claimed to have PitchCom issues just to buy some extra time in the pitch-clock era.
Just don’t accuse Justin Verlander of doing that — he won’t take kindly to it.
During Tuesday’s game between the Red Sox and Astros, Verlander signaled in the second inning that he was having trouble with his PitchCom. Red Sox manager Alex Cora wasn’t buying it. He emerged from the dugout to have some words with Verlander and home plate umpire Pat Hoberg. That was when Verlander channeled his inner Logan Roy, and mics picked up all of it. (NSFW language)
Alex Cora’s got a lot of nerve getting upset at Verlander for trying to fix his PitchCom considering Cora is the reason we need PitchCom in the first place.
pic.twitter.com/t3adyxtOdg— MLB Metrics (@MLBMetrics) August 23, 2023
If Verlander was really trying to buy time, it certainly wouldn’t have been in that situation — nobody on in the second inning with no outs. He genuinely seemed to be having trouble with PitchCom and even had to switch out a system that was set to Spanish.
Cora and Verlander– who both were in Houston for the initial Astros sign-stealing scandal — having that argument was ironic in its own right. But if there is any takeaway from the exchange, it’s that we need more uncensored conversations from baseball games. That one conversation showed fans a side of the game that they hardly get to experience.