Cubs' Ben Zobrist On Dodgers' Accusations Of Him Stealing Signs: 'Hilarious'
(CBS) Following his team's 1-0 win in Game 2 that evened the National League Championship Series, Dodgers catcher Yasmai Grandal on Sunday night accused Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist of stealing signs during a crucial eighth-inning sequence a night prior in Chicago's 8-4 win in Game 1.
On Monday during an off day in the series, Zobrist got a chance to respond, brushing the allegation off as crazy talk.
"It's hilarious," Zobrist told reporters. "No, I was not stealing signs. But I appreciate him thinking my baseball IQ is that high.
"I don't know what he was looking at or what he thought he saw. But really, from second base at Wrigley, it's very tough to even see the signs. It's so dark. All the lights are behind the hitter ... But I think all catchers are probably a little paranoid about that."
In a 3-3 game on Saturday night, Zobrist led off the eighth inning with a double. Grandal believed Zobrist was relaying information to teammate Addison Russell in the ensuing at-bat. Russell ended up grounding out before Miguel Montero hit a game-winning grand slam several batters later.
"All the sudden, Russell is not taking good swings at sliders, looking like he's looking for a fastball and in a certain location," Grandal told the LA Times on Sunday. "Did we know Zobrist had the signs and was doing something for it? Yeah, we did. That's why we do it."
The NLCS resumes Tuesday night, with Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta facing Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill. First pitch is 7:08 p.m. from Dodger Stadium, and you can hear the hometown call on 670 The Score.
