The Astros weren’t the first team to use a camera to steal signs, according to one prominent former player.
Jack McDowell alleged the White Sox did the same thing in the 1980s under then-manager Tony La Russa.
“I’m going to whistle-blow this thing now because I’m getting tired of this crap,” McDowell, who began his career with the White Sox, told WFNZ in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday.
La Russa, who has never been investigated for sign stealing, responded to the claim by noting that McDowell never played under him with the White Sox.
“My question is this: Was he ever on our team?” La Russa told The (Calif.) Mercury News. “He was never on our team.”
McDowell didn’t reach the majors until 1987, a year after La Russa was fired by the White Sox. He never claimed in the interview to play for the former Athletics and Cardinals manager.
“He can talk all he wants,” La Russa said. “He doesn’t know how we played the game. He should talk to our teammates. That’s what he should do.”
According to McDowell, a camera was installed in the outfield to see what signs the opposing catcher was putting down, and a light placed in an outfield Gatorade sign would tell the hitters what pitches were coming. La Russa, according to McDowell, was responsible for the system that was controlled from his office.
McDowell, who pitched for the Yankees in 1995 and now coaches Queens University in Charlotte, claims teams have been doing it for decades. The Astros just got caught.
“Nobody wants to throw anybody under the bus,” he said.