Former Blue Jays manager accuses Twins of cheating in AL Wild Card
Here's something we haven't heard in over two decades -- everything has gone the Minnesota Twins way this postseason.
For the first time since 2002, the Twins won a playoff series and in the process ended one of the most miserably losing streaks in profressional sports. Minnesota snapped an 18-game postseason losing streak with its win in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card on Tuesday, and followed that up with a series victory a day later.
Twins fans waited 7,668 days to watch their team win a playoff series, and it took less than 24 hours for someone to get cranky about it.
Former Blue Jays manager accuses Twins of cheating in AL Wild Card
Minnesota's win over the Blue Jays wasn't without some dramatic moments. Michael A. Taylor saved two runs in Game 1 with a clutch catch at the wall, and Game 2 had more than a few momwnts that had Twins fans on the edge of their seat.
One of the biggest moments came in the fifth inning, when Toronto had two runners in scoring position and Sonny Gray on the ropes. Bo Bichette was ahead in a 3-2 count, but the inning ended when Gray picked off Vladimir Guerrero Jr at second.
After the win in Game 2, Sonny Gray went into detail about the pickoff throw and how he and Correa were able to pull it off. The main takeaway from his quote seemed to be that the Target Field crowd played a role in the pickoff thanks to how loud the stadium was.
Sonny Gray discussing the Pickoff.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 5, 2023
Play was put on by Correa and communicated through PitchCom. pic.twitter.com/Fiz2U2UdVb
That's not what everyone took away from his quote, though. It seems his answer wasn't what former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons wanted to hear, and he called Minnesota out for cheating by invoking the Houston Astros.
If true, I guess it’s time to exonerate the Houston Astros for the sign stealing controversy since technology is allowed. What’s fairs fair #MLB #BlueJays #nextlevel #houstonastros @MillerLiteCA @TimHortons https://t.co/ZplrjcaUsa
— John Gibbons (@johngibbons05) October 5, 2023
It seems his issue is with the use of the PitchCom to alert Gray that Vlad was too far off second base to get back. It's a tricky one to unpack, but this seems to be more of a case of sour grapes and any legitimate gripe.
Gray and Correa had already practiced the pickoff move and had spoken about it earlier in the game. It would be different if the Twins were constantly moving to pick off Blue Jays runners; this feels much more like strategy and expertly using all resources to play an ace up their sleeve than cheating.
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