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Miguel Cabrera Denies Tigers Stole White Sox Signs: 'Get the F--k out of Here'
April 28, 2021
Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera took exception Wednesday to Chicago White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal's accusation that Detroit was passing signs from second base during Tuesday's game between the two teams.
Slavo Bekovic of NBC Sports Chicago relayed Cabrera's thoughts on the matter, noting that the Tigers slugger believed Madrigal was telling White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and catcher Yasmani Grandal that Detroit was stealing signs:
"Come on, this is bulls--t. I don't play that game. You need to respect," Cabrera said. "... Get the f--k out of here."
Will Birchfield of 670 The Score provided more context, noting that Cabrera "began jawing with Madrigal during his next at-bat in the fourth" after hitting a first-inning homer en route to a 5-2 Tigers win.
Cabrera also added: "Everybody is paranoid about [sign-stealing] right now, but [the White Sox] are over the limit. They need to respect that because if we didn't say that, the next day we're going to be a hit by pitch or something like that. And we don't play that game, we respect the game."
Detroit was in Chicago to play a three-game series with the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field through Thursday. However, Wednesday's game was postponed due to inclement weather.
Sign stealing has been a prominent storyline in baseball since the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros were found guilty of the practice en route to their title. Numerous punishments were doled out, including a one-year suspension for Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who was later fired. Hinch now manages the Tigers.
The 2018 Boston Red Sox (also World Series champions) were punished for sign-stealing as well, notably losing a second-round draft pick in 2020.
The Tigers-White Sox series hasn't been the only case where a team or player has been publicly accused of sign-stealing in 2021 either.
San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. was also accused of sign-stealing before his second home run off Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer last Saturday, with Bauer notably publishing a video making the claim. The Padres denied the accusations.