Yes, Red Sox fans have started to convince themselves that the Astros are cheating.
After two straight blowout wins at Fenway Park put Houston up 3-2 in the ALCS, one Red Sox fan went to the tape and found … a whistle that may or may not have tipped Yordan Alvarez to a Chris Sale fastball while the pitch was being thrown?
It’s not quite garbage can bangs — and it should be noted that fans sometimes (often) whistle during sporting events — but sports radio in Beantown is rolling with it nonetheless.
“I’ll take all the cheating conspiracy theories,” tweeted the account for Toucher and Rich, the No. 1 radio show in the market. “ALL of them.”
Setting aside that the Astros are on the road, and one imagines on their best behavior after the last cheating scandal carried massive ramifications, a whistle doesn’t seem like the most efficient way to cheat. Particularly on the road, there would be a high chance for a fan to create mixed signals.
That hasn’t stopped “Toucher and Rich” from tweeting about what they’re calling “Whistlegate” six times Thursday morning – not counting retweets. They’ve also accused Astros manager Dusty Baker of cheating via wearing a Fitbit, which can “vibrate if a fastball is coming.”
Even so, the Astros did score nine runs in Games 4 and 5 to take control of the series. Does there need to be an ulterior reason for that? Apparently, yes.
The Astros have a chance to clinch the series on Friday night at Minute Maid Park. We can only assume the Red Sox will be keeping an ear out.