When it happens once, it’s luck. But when it happens twice, update your dictionaries because the new word is cheating. In case you didn’t get the memo, the Toronto Blue Jays pulled off a second-straight—and, might we add, lopsided—win over the New York Yankees. Entering the series with identical 94-68 records, the expectation was exciting, nail-biting clashes. Instead, the 10-1 and 13-7 scorelines left numerous completely dumbfounded.

One X user took it up a notch, though. “Not even joking @MLB please investigate the @BlueJays origination,” a tweet read after the second game. “This has another Astros incident written all over it. This doesn’t even make sense. This is fishy. They’re more than likely cheating.”

It’s understandable why fans would think that the Blue Jays had an unfair advantage. Yet, stats show how the fault lay within the roster itself. In simple words: The Yankees were outplayed, and they realise that. In the recently concluded second game, New York scored zero runs against pitchers Trey Yesavage, Braydon Fisher, Mason Fluharty, Louis Varland and Seranthony Domínguez, along with a single hit and 14 strikeouts across eight innings.

What’s more, Blue Jays rookie Yesavage had a phenomenal performance where he allowed no hits and struck out 11 in 5 1/3 innings, while recording a 58.1% whiff rate (including a 68.8% whiff rate on his splitter). The breakout star who opened the season with Class-A Dunedin threw just 15 of 45 pitches in the strike zone through three innings. What makes him so elite? Analysts say it’s his arm angle. Sitting at a staggering 63 degrees, he is only second in the league behind New York Mets’ Jonah Tong (64 degrees).

But, keeping that aside, the Yankees’ pitching was another pain point. Luis Gil lasted 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Left-hander Max Fried then allowed seven runs and eight hits over three-plus innings, putting his team in a 5-0 hole. “Just not his sharpest, obviously,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone rightly noted later. Unfortunately, the storyline was the same in Game 1.

Luke Weaver, who faced three batters on Saturday, couldn’t record a single out, allowed three runs on two hits and a walk. This comes just four days after his first postseason disaster vs the Red Sox, where he came in to close the seventh inning after shortstop Anthony Volpe gave the team 1-0 lead with a solo home run. Unfortunately, Weaver lost the lead with a two-run single to Masataka Yoshida, after walking Cedanne Rafaela and giving up a double to Nick Sogard.

So, as things stand, the Yankees have been out-homered 8-1 vs their current opponents. The Blue Jays’ 23 runs are the most by any team in a postseason series’ first two games. Will Game 3 change the tide then? We don’t know, especially considering that the Yankees are 2-4 at home vs their recent opponents; they’re 8-9 in Toronto this season. But, if you ask fans, they’re hardly convinced. In fact, like the tweet pointed out, the upsets have been reminiscent of the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.

As per an MLB investigation, it was revealed in 2020 that the Astros had been using an illegal camera system during the 2017 regular and post season—the same year they won the World Series. “The Astros decoded the signs used by opposing catchers and relayed them to their batters in real-time. This involved placing a camera in center field to capture the signals, deciphering the signals in real time using the database, and then communicating the upcoming pitches to the hitters by banging in code on a trash can,” a report on the same stated.

Subsequently, manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were fired in January 2020, while the franchise was fined $5 million, the maximum allowed by the league. Having said that, looks like any lopsided score or strange play can instantly trigger that ghost from eight years ago. After all, this is not the first time similar accusations took the community by storm.

Let’s take you back to April last year, when broadcaster Michael Kay had also insinuated the Blue Jays were cheating at home after they were two games to none against the Yankees.

“You know what’s curious to me, though? We just saw the Blue Jays in the Bronx, and what we watched was a completely different team than the one we’ve seen here in Toronto,” Kay said during a YES broadcast. “The one in New York did not foul off the amount of pitches this team does — it’s like it’s a different team in this ballpark. Now, home field advantage, there is something to that, but why would it manifest itself in the ability to foul off tough pitches?…

“You can understand it if the next time you see them, after you saw them in The Bronx, is a month and a half later, but this is a week later, and it’s a completely different approach and a completely different team,” he concluded a week and half after the team lost 1-2 in The Bronx.

Interestingly, Boone’s team has also faced its fair share of accusations. Remember when Aaron Judge faced accusations of receiving tips about incoming pitches vs Toronto? On that occasion, the slugger was caught on camera looking sideways before driving a 114.9 mph hit. “What is that? Where is he looking? And he did it more than once…You don’t wanna go throwing allegations around without knowing, but..,” one of the commentators had speculated back then. Toronto manager John Schneider had called glance “kind of odd”, but Judge has always maintained there was nothing going on.

As for the latest accusations, are they based on real evidence or just playoff frustration? Here’s what the fan theories tell us…

How fans built their case online

The first wave of reactions came from pure shock. After watching the Bronx Bombers outduel completely, one wrote, “There is no question in my mind The Jays are stealing signs.” Another fan repeated the same feelings: “10000000% they are stealing signs Payback.”

From there, the online detectives started to connect the dots. As one fan wrote, “Not surprised the Blue Jays are cheating. Someone remind me what team was Springer on in 2017?” Blue Jays outfielder George Springer was the World Series MVP in that infamous 2017 Astros team. Though Springer later apologized for his role, the “stealing scandal” label always followed him. Fans then brought up more theories, with one writing, “Blue Jays have a hotel in CF and could easily hide a camera there to steal signs. Very obvious what’s happening here.” This refers to the Marriott Hotel that was built into the Rogers Centre, with rooms with a perfect center-field view providing a possible hidden spot for a camera.

Finally, a fan accused, “Blue Jays have tapped into Yankees pitchcom and know what pitches are coming.” PitchCom is an encrypted device for catchers and pitchers to communicate securely. And though its creators claim it’s nearly impossible to hack, the Astros scandal taught us to suspect anything that looks fishy. And this theory only gains traction when you see Toronto’s league-best 54-27 home record. But these theories are completely speculative as of now. Let’s wait to see how the rest of the series unfolds.