Daily News | Like ‘playing a video game’: Phillies seeing the value in new tech that transmits pitch signals
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto wears the PitchCom transmitter on his wrist to send his pitch calls to the pitcher.With a runner on second base and two out in the third inning of a recent spring training game, Phillies starter Kyle Gibson looked in at menacing New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, adjusted his grip on the ball, and came set in the stretch position. There was only one problem.
Here’s how it works: The catcher wears a wristband with a remote control transmitter on the inside of his glove-side forearm and an audio piece in his helmet. The pitcher and as many as three players also have audio receivers in their caps. Rather than using his fingers to communicate the pitch type and location and a series of other signs, the catcher presses a button and instructions are provided verbally over an encrypted channel.
Literally. In the Phillies’ iteration of PitchCom, it’s Realmuto’s voice that guides the pitchers, regardless of whether he or Stubbs is behind the plate. A few weeks ago, Realmuto recorded every pitch thrown by each pitcher and all possible locations. The recordings were uploaded from a computer program to the device.
“We can say anything we want, like ‘move his feet’ or ‘throw it in the dirt,’” Realmuto said. “I can be more distinct in what I’m asking them, and they know exactly what I want from them. There’s going to be more conviction behind [a pitch] because there’s no question marks in what we’re asking them to do.
There’s also the potential of a malfunction. The New York Mets appeared to have an issue Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park, perhaps with the speakers in the audio receivers. But if something breaks on the device, Phillies manager Joe Girardi noted the team has “got plenty of them, trust me.”“I forgot to take my mask out to the plate one day,” he said, “because I was worried about getting my PitchCom and making sure all the technology was right.
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