Jays’ Jackson says he was throwing pitches against Yankees’ Aaron Judge | MLB

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jay Jackson says he thinks he was tipping his pitches when New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge homered off him Monday night.

That at-bat was quickly scrutinized when Cameras caught Judge taking unusual looks toward the first base line moments before Jackson threw. Many questioned whether anyone on the Yankees was giving the 2022 AL MVP an indication of what pitch Jackson was about to throw, either in stealing cues or pitch tipping.

jackson he told the athletic on Tuesday night that he believes a Yankees coach was able to see what grip he was using while holding the ball in his glove, and that coach relayed the information to Judge, helping him hit a 462-foot home run. Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, and Toronto recalled right-hander Thomas Hatch from the Bisons.

It is not prohibited for teammates or coaches to use the naked eye to study pitchers and relay that information to hitters. when the The 2017 Houston Astros were punished for signal theft, it was because they used prohibited electronic devices, including live video feeds, to help gather that information.

Jackson said he had his hands raised above his head before he got to the setup position, in a spot that might have allowed Yankees first base coach Travis Chapman to see Yankees catch the ball. Jackson and identify the pitch. Chapman could have relayed the information to Judge using a hand signal.

Jackson also said that he was angling his pitches by moving his hands from his head to the set position on his hip at different speeds on different pitches.

After Monday’s game, Judge said he was looking in his dugout to see which of his teammates was interrupting his at-bat by yelling at home plate umpire Clint Vondrak. Vondrak had just thrown out New York manager Aaron Boone for discussing a low strike with Judge.

Before Tuesday’s game, Blue Jays manager John Schneider expressed concern about where the Yankees were positioning their first and third base coaches, saying his team had spoken to the commissioner’s office about the issue.

“There are boxes on the field for a reason,” Schneider said.

After Judge struck out in the third inning Tuesday, there was a brief shouting match between Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker and Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas. Walker went to the outer edge of the dugout, yelling and gesturing at Rojas, a former Mets manager.

Boone later gestured to Blue Jays third base coach Luis Rivera directing him to return to the paint box in foul territory behind third.

The drama series took another turn Tuesday when Yankees right-hander Domingo Germán was ejected after umpires checked his hands for prohibited sticky things before the fourth inning.

“The instant I looked at his hand, it was extremely shiny and extremely sticky,” home plate umpire and crew chief James Hoye told a pool reporter. “It’s the stickiest hand I’ve ever felt. My fingers had a hard time getting out of his palm.”

Germán’s ejection is likely to result in a 10-game suspension.