Dodgers doubters don't know difference between tipping pitches and sign stealing

The Los Angeles Dodgers took care of business against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night, thus eliminating the postseason's best storyline in the process. The Dodgers move on to face the Phillies in Philadelphia. The Reds never really tested LA, as Reds ace Hunter Greene gave up five earned runs in just three innings pitched during Game 1, which was a victory Cincinnati needed given Yoshinobu Yamamoto awaited them in Game 2.

ESPN's Buster Olney detailed on his podcast how Greene, unbeknownst to him, was actually tipping his pitches with a glove motion. The Dodgers took advantage.

"We were having a drink at the hotel bar after the game, watching what was going on, and Eduardo Perez breaks out his iPad and shows us how he was tipping his pitches with his glove," Olney said. "Then, he ran through some of the swings. In Eduardo's mind, they absolutely knew every time he was going to throw a breaking ball."

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The Cincinnati Reds were tipping pitches in their series against the Dodgers

Unfortunately for the Reds, the pitching tipping didn't end there. The Dodgers read the Cincinnati pitching staff like a book, often relaying possible pitching trends on the bench, or via a baserunner at second or beyond who could let the batter know exactly what he was seeing.

The Reds also made a pitching change in Game 1, bringing in right-handed reliever Connor Phillips. ESPN showed the Dodgers third-base coach looking at a tablet with Los Angeles slugger Teoscar Hernandez heading into the commercial break. Hernandez hit a towering home run shortly thereafter, smiling at the Dodgers bench in the process. Clearly, Los Angeles saw something they could take advantage of – and they executed perfectly.

Is tipping pitches illegal in MLB?

Tipping pitches is allowed in MLB. There is a big difference between what the Dodgers allegedly did during their Wild Card series against the Reds – essentially relaying scouting reports between players and coaches, sometimes using a league-issued tablet – and what the Houston Astros tried to get away with in 2017 and 2018.

There is no camera in center field. There is no trash can bang from the bench to relay exactly what pitch is coming. In the end, it's still up to the hitter to identify the pitch via the trends the coaching staff and their teammates point out to them. There isn't a 100 percent success rate. Sometimes, these trends are wrong, and at times pitchers and catcher realize they are tipping pitches mid-game and alter their approach.

Why are some fans upset about the Dodgers identifying signs?

The answer to that doesn't require a PHD. Fans are upset the Dodgers are stealing signs (legally) because they are the Dodgers. Los Angeles has used every legal advantage at their disposal to build a superteam. Andrew Freidman and his front office are the kings of deferred contracts, after all. They've built an advanced scouting operation which thrives overseas, consistently poaching the best players in Japan and Latin America. They also have one of the richest owners in baseball who is willing to do whatever it takes to win, and they reside in a dream baseball market.

There can be no parity in baseball when the Dodgers exist, per these fans. Thankfully, payroll, scouting and on-field success during the regular season doesn't guarantee a World Series trophy. The MLB Postseason has a tendency to provide an unexpected winner, and that could very well be the case again this year.

However, that won't stop rival fanbases from squirming at the idea of this Dodgers team having yet another advantage at their disposal, especially if it comes by sketchy means MLB refuses to punish.