Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo offered an apology to the Chicago Cubs after his team was angered by a Chicago coach stealing signs.
In the fifth inning of Monday's game, members of the D-Backs grew incensed after noticing what they believed was Cubs third base coach Quintin Berry relaying signs to hitters. D-Backs bench coach Jeff Banister was particularly animated while screaming at Chicago's dugout. In his postgame remarks, pitcher Merrill Kelly called Berry's actions "bullshit."
— Foul Territory (@bsbls885) August 25, 2026
Cameras did show Berry relaying signs while Kelly was on the mound, but because he was within the third base coaches' box, his actions were ultimately deemed legal.
“I think it’s bullshit when it comes from a coach.”
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 25, 2026
Pitcher Merrill Kelly and the Dbacks coaches were pissed after catching Cubs third base coach Quintin Berry seemingly relaying signs to hitters pic.twitter.com/FA029H7JYR
Lovullo called his Cubs counterpart Craig Counsell to apologize after getting clarification on the coaching box rules from the league.
"There's just a very slippery interpretation (of the rule) according to what I remember being said in a lot of meetings leading up to the season, with the new base-coaching boxes (rules)," Lovullo said Tuesday, according to Alex Weiner of AZ Sports. "I thought it was supposed to be kept between (the) white lines. ... The third base coach and first base coach can do whatever they want as long as they are inside the dimensions of the base-coaching box.
"So, I stand corrected. I had a chance to call (Counsell), apologize to him, and told him that we were wrong and they were doing everything right."
Due to concerns about sign-stealing, new rules for on-field coaches were enacted this season. Instead of allowing first and third base coaches to be positioned anywhere within the vicinity of their boxes, as had been the case for decades, they now must stay within the box while the pitcher is on the rubber.
The Cubs used Berry's eyes to their advantage Monday, scoring three earned runs on five hits off Kelly while drawing three walks in a 7-0 win. They attacked his changeup, in particular, lacing two hits against his most commonly used pitch.
Despite Kelly's irritation, Lovullo conceded that the right-hander was likely tipping his pitches, meaning adjustments must be made in his dugout.
"It's up to us to fix it, and we're doing that right now," Lovullo said.
The Cubs-Diamondbacks series continues Tuesday and Wednesday in Phoenix.
