Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly accused Chicago Cubs third base coach Quintin Berry of relaying signs to Cubs hitters during Chicago’s 7-0 win Monday night, calling the behavior “bush league.” Kelly said Arizona’s staff believed Berry was watching his glove for tells on his changeup, especially against left-handed hitters.
“We just thought he was relaying signs. We thought he had something on my changeup,” Kelly said after the game, adding that sign-stealing between players is part of baseball but that it’s different “when it comes from a coach.” The two benches were seen chirping at each other during the broadcast, with Arizona directing its frustration specifically at Berry.
Why the Coach Distinction Matters to Players
Sign-stealing through pure observation, a runner on second base picking up catcher signs, for instance, is a long-accepted part of baseball’s gamesmanship that players police among themselves. Kelly’s objection was specifically that a coach, someone in an institutional role rather than a player competing in the moment, allegedly crossed into that territory, which he and his teammates viewed as a different kind of violation even if it isn’t against a written rule.
What Happens From Here
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo addressed the tense moment after the game without escalating it into a formal complaint to the league, and no discipline has been announced against Berry or the Cubs. Unless MLB decides to investigate further, this is likely to remain a war-of-words moment between the two clubs rather than something with concrete consequences.
