{"id":208750,"date":"2025-09-07T23:05:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T23:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/208750\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T23:05:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T23:05:27","slug":"blue-jays-pretty-obvious-max-scherzer-was-tipping-pitches-ahead-of-yankees-home-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/208750\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays: \u2018Pretty obvious\u2019 Max Scherzer was tipping pitches ahead of Yankees\u2019 home run"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2014 The New York Yankees held on for their biggest win of the season Sunday after getting help from an unlikely source: future Hall of Fame starting pitcher Max Scherzer, who was tipping his changeup in the first inning. It led to Ben Rice having \u201cthe at-bat of the day,\u201d as Yankees manager Aaron Boone described it.<\/p>\n

The Yankees put their pitch-tipping expertise into motion after Cody Bellinger, who hit third in the lineup, reached first base on a single. With Aaron Judge on second base, Bellinger alerted the Yankees captain by motioning his arms up and down, signaling a changeup from Scherzer was coming. Judge then repeated the motion before Scherzer delivered a changeup, allowing Rice to know that the pitch was coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is correct. That\u2019s what was happening,\u201d Bellinger said after the Yankees\u2019 series-clinching 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. \u201cWe talk about it pregame, and you just go out there and look for it. If you see it, then you obviously do what you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a 10-pitch at-bat, Rice saw three changeups after falling behind 0-2 in the count. On the seventh pitch, Rice crushed a changeup 396 feet, but he pulled it foul. That\u2019s when Blue Jays first baseman Ty France ran over to Scherzer on the mound.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Bellinger) did it twice, and after the second one, that\u2019s when I knew they had something,\u201d France said. \u201cIt was pretty obvious. You know, guys at first don\u2019t typically flap their arms like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Max Scherzer was tipping his changeup. It led to an amazing AB from Ben Rice. <\/p>\n

A 3-run HR gives the Yankees a 3-0 lead pic.twitter.com\/6j490ZronO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) September 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

After the mound visit, Scherzer knew he should no longer throw his changeup, so the Blue Jays starter threw a fastball and curveball on the eighth and ninth pitches of the at-bat. Rice fouled off both. Then on the 10th pitch, a fastball, Rice uncorked a 380-foot three-run homer, giving the Yankees an early 3-0 lead.<\/p>\n

The Yankees\u2019 pregame scouting prowess paid off. Bellinger said everyone in the clubhouse, from base coaches to the players, is knowledgeable about every pitcher\u2019s tendencies and what to look for when it comes to possible tipping.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re good at it,\u201d Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. \u201cMax has got to be a little bit better, and it was obvious on the changeups. Rice just missed the one on the foul homer. It\u2019s fair game. The whole (league) knows the Yankees are good when they got something. \u2026 Maybe I\u2019m the only one going to say it publicly, but we got to do a better job of making sure we\u2019re not giving anything away. So, at the end of the day, you got to be tight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scherzer acknowledged that he was warned about tipping his changeup before he took the mound in the series rubber match. With the Yankees\u2019 win, they\u2019re now two games back of the first-place Blue Jays in the American League East.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something we\u2019re aware of, that you can get my changeup out of my glove from first base,\u201d Scherzer said. \u201cIt\u2019s something we\u2019ve known. It\u2019s not just the Yankees. Across the league, guys can do that. I\u2019ve had multiple people tell me that. I thought I had addressed it, thought I had made the proper adjustment to get my glove in front of my face, but clearly I hadn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Yankees won a game in July against the Seattle Mariners when they picked up that closer Andr\u00e9s Mu\u00f1oz was tipping his slider<\/a>. The Yankees were being no-hit that night before chipping away at the Mariners\u2019 lead. Mu\u00f1oz allowed two runs in that game, one of just two outings this season in which the All-Star reliever has allowed at least two runs.<\/p>\n

Bellinger said, \u201cI guess we\u2019re good at it,\u201d when discussing how frustrating it likely is for opponents when they realize the Yankees are relaying signs to the batter. Relaying signs without the use of technology is permitted under MLB rules, and the Yankees\u2019 ability to figure it out in real time just gave them a key division series win with 19 games remaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we\u2019re just so obvious with it with our motion,\u201d Bellinger said with a smile about their signals. \u201cI think that\u2019s probably what it is. A lot of teams are discreet. We just kind of, if we got it, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo of Max Scherzer: Heather Khalifa \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n