"Imagine Astros being mad about stealing signs" - MLB broadcaster throws shade after Hector Neris ignites bench-clearing drama in Boston

Things got chaotic in Saturday's clash between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park as both benches cleared in the seventh inning of the game.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Astros reliever Hector Neris was unhappy about Trevor Story seemingly relaying his grip to the hitter. Neris attempted to balk Story to third to preserve his grip.

However, after Carlos Narvaez grounded out to end the inning, Neris started shouting at Red Sox third base coach Kyle Hudson. The Red Sox coach responded as both benches and bullpens cleared, while Christian Walker held back Neris.

One of the MLB broadcasters threw shade at Neris and the Astros, recalling their sign-stealing scandal.

"Imagine the Astros being mad about stealing signs," the broadcaster said during the benches-clearing incident.

The Astros were found guilty of sign-stealing during the 2017 season after an MLB investigation in 2020. Incidentally, current Red Sox manager Alex Cora was the Astros' coach at the time.

Hector Neris reflects on controversial incident during Red Sox game

Following the game, Hector Neris reflected on the incident, saying he was unsure if his grips were being relayed.

"Maybe yes, maybe no,“ Neris said on his pitches being relayed. ”But just wanted to concentrate. In this situation, I don’t think about it. I want to do what I’m feeling right in the moment.

On his attempted balk to Trevor Story, Neris said:

"Just wanted to feel better to concentrate on the guy at home plate. Just wanted to move on and keep on the guy on home plate, not worrying about him."

Trevor Story, who had an impactful night with three RBIs after going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double, said he wasn't aware of what led to the benches clearing.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “You’ll have to ask those guys. But I was walking back to the dugout and I just saw everyone kind of come out at that point. So you’ll have to ask them."

Amid the chaos, the Red Sox registered a comfortable 7-3 win to clinch the series with a game to go. With the win they have overtaken the New York Yankees in the second spot of the American League East.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash