The New York Yankees lost a tough game to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, and the new PitchCom system may have been partly to blame in their minds.
Closer Aroldis Chapman was trying to preserve a 1-1 tie in the 11th inning of Friday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, and he faced a key 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded and two outs. A walk would end the game, so Chapman had to get this right.
However, Chapman was clearly having issues hearing the PitchCom in his ear. Crowd noise may have interfered with his ability to get the sign.
Chapman wound up missing with a slider and walking in the winning run. He ultimately did not execute his pitch, but he may have been flustered due to the technical difficulties.
PitchCom is a new technology that is meant to prevent sign stealing, which is certainly something the Yankees are sensitive about. All 30 teams have the option to use it, and some have elected to try it early in the season. Clearly, it has some issues to work out. Expect the most glaring ones to be fixed quickly, but not quickly enough to save the Yankees in this game.
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