Merrill Kelly accuses Cubs coach Quintin Berry of sign stealing, calls move ‘bush league’ after heated clash

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly accused Chicago Cubs third-base coach Quintin Berry of stealing and relaying signs during Monday night’s 7-0 loss at Chase Field. Kelly said Berry appeared to have picked up something about his changeup and was passing that information to Cubs hitters, particularly left-handed batters. The accusation led to a heated exchange between the two dugouts in the fifth inning. After the game, Kelly made his view clear, saying sign stealing is part of baseball when players do it, but called it “a little bush league” when a coach is involved. MLB also reported the incident.Merrill Kelly calls out Quintin Berry over sign-stealing accusationThe issue came up in the fifth inning when Kelly was pitching to Michael Busch with runners on base. Kelly stepped off the mound and looked toward Berry, who was standing in the Cubs’ third-base coaching box. The two benches then started shouting at each other as the Diamondbacks questioned whether Berry was picking up Kelly’s signs.Kelly later explained what Arizona believed was happening. He said the Diamondbacks thought Berry had noticed something about his changeup and was relaying it to Chicago’s hitters.“Stealing signs is as old as baseball,” Kelly said. “I think it’s a little bull**** when it comes from a coach.“I think if it’s a guy on second base and they see the grip in your glove or if the hitters can see something that you’re doing with your glove, I think that’s fair game.“I think guys have been doing that since the beginning of baseball.“I think it’s a little bush league when it comes from outside that.”Kelly did not say that stealing signs itself was wrong. Instead, he drew a line between what players can notice during a game and what he believes coaches should be doing from outside the field.Craig Counsell responds as Cubs beat DiamondbacksThe tension did not end when the fifth inning was over. Kelly was removed after allowing a two-out single in the sixth and appeared to stare toward Berry and the Cubs’ bench as he walked away.Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had already stepped onto the mound earlier to settle things down and give Kelly a chance to finish the inning.Cubs manager Craig Counsell did not treat the incident as a major issue. After the game, he described it simply as “gamesmanship that goes on every day in the league.”Kelly also accepted that he needs to look at his own pitching. If Berry really noticed something, Kelly said, other teams could potentially notice it too.“That being said, I gotta take a look at what I’m doing, because clearly he had something. And obviously if he has it, then other people would probably pick up on it as well. I gotta figure out and do better on my part to not give it away. But yeah, I think it should stay between the players.”The Cubs finished the night with a 7-0 win, while Kelly gave up three earned runs over 5⠔ innings. The accusation now adds another layer to an already important late-season series between two teams fighting for a postseason spot.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.