Red Sox stole signs electronically from Yankees, other teams

— -- Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Tuesday that the Boston Red Sox used electronic communication from the dugout to steal opponents' signs and relay them to Boston players during games.

Baseball's investigation of the Red Sox is ongoing, Manfred said from Fenway Park ahead of Boston's game against Toronto, but he expects it will be completed before the end of the regular season.

News of the investigation was first reported by the New York Times.

After MLB corroborated the claims with its own video, the commissioner's office confronted the Red Sox, who admitted that video replay personnel were getting signs and that those were relayed to some players, The Times reported. The scheme had been ongoing for some weeks.

The Red Sox's scheme came to MLB's attention when New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman filed a complaint with Manfred's office last month. He supplied video of what the team contended was a Red Sox trainer looking at his Apple Watch, the Times reported, and then relaying information to players -- in one instance outfielder Brock Holt and in another infielder Dustin Pedroia -- during a series between the teams in Boston.

Major League Baseball does not have a policy against sign stealing, per se, Manfred said. The issue is the use of a electronic device in the dugout, which is against league rules.

Red Sox manager John Farrell, whose team is hosting Toronto, said that Boston is "aware of the rule [that] electronic devices are not to be used in the dugout." When asked to comment further, he said it's "a league matter."

Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, who is in Baltimore for a game against the Orioles, said of the sign stealing, "It was something we expected was going on."

During Yankees-Red Sox games this year, Yankees catchers increasingly and repeatedly visited the mound to go through the signs or change in sequences verbally -- and this was related partly because of the Yankees' concerns about how the Red Sox were relaying information, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney.

Sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN's Andrew Marchand that the Yankees have suspected the Red Sox were using illegal methods to steal signs for a while, but they could not prove it until the last series in Boston. The Yankees thought something was not right because the Red Sox repeatedly hit pitches hard that the Yankees felt would normally be unhittable -- especially with runners in scoring position.

A source also questioned how Farrell and Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski did not know about the scheme, considering the Yankees were able to figure it out, and so many players were involved.

The Red Sox have since filed their own complaint, alleging that the Yankees use a camera from their YES Network exclusively for stealing signs.

Sources denied the substance of the Red Sox's counterclaim, with one saying it was a public relations move to try to muddy the waters.

"There is no meat on the bone," the source said.

"No chance," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.