“Legal” cheating has gone on ever since I can remember. Stealing signs, especially at the MLB level is easy by just watching tapes of past games and putting the camera on the 3rd base coach, which is usually the person flashing the signs to the batter and any runners that may be on base.
Stealing signs from the catcher to the pitcher is another thing. However, with the use of TV, those signs would also be easy to steal. When watching a game on TV today, normally at the time when the pitcher gets his sign from the catcher, the centerfield camera shows the sign very clearly. Once whoever is watching the game writes down what sign was flashed to the pitcher and then that person would put that information against the pitch thrown, they now know that what pitch goes with what sign. The difficult part comes in when they have runners on base and the catcher will change the number of the sign for the pitch. For example; if no runners are on, usually the first sign is the real sign for the pitch that the catcher wants thrown. With a runner on, he may go out to the mound and tell the pitcher that the pitch will be the 2nd or 3rd sign flashed. The catcher will usually flash 3 or 4 signs to the pitcher. Like, 3 fingers, 2 fingers, 1 finger and then 3 fingers. The person trying to steal the sign will have to watch this over and over on Teveral times before he can be certain that he has the right number associated to the right pitch.
So, after the person watches the sign flashed and the pitch thrown, he can see that it was a curve ball thrown and the 2nd sign flashed by the catcher was two fingers, which is usually a curve. I think most pitcher/catcher combos use 1 as a fastball, 2 as a curve, 3 as a slider (or other) and if the catcher wiggles his fingers, that generally means a change. If the catcher shows his fist, that may mean that he’s asking the pitcher to check the runner. If the catcher taps the inside of his leg (left or right) that’s where he wants the pitch thrown (inside or outside) and if the catcher taps the inside of one leg and then the other leg, he may be asking for the pitcher to throw the batter what we called, a little chin music, which is up and in, but don’t hit him. We had a sign to hit the batter, but I never used it.
Being accused of cheating is just about the worse thing anyone can do in baseball. Admitting to it or being proven that you did cheat is the worse thing. Look at Pete Rose. He was banned from baseball for life for gambling in baseball. It cost him his place in the HOF. Of course, if you want to compare apples to apples, check out the 1919 White Sox. Most of the whole team cheated. I’m still not convinced the Shoeless Joe Jackson cheated.
BTW, I think Pete will take his place in the Hall, but probably not until after he dies.
