It turns out that being the home to America’s oldest sports franchise still in continuous operation since 1883 means that its history is both well — good and bad. Throughout the existence of Philadelphia, the city has seen its fair share of hoaxes and heists alike — and it turns out — the sport’s scandal has made it into our history books as well. Recently it’s been one hundred and twenty-five years since the Phillies were caught red-handled in a buzzer-based baseball scandal at the Baker Bowl on Lehigh Avenue.
Michael Thomas Leibrandt explains.
Morgan Murphy.
Unfortunately for that same oldest, continuous sports franchise in American Sports History — the Phillies history has been intertwined with sign-stealing accusations multiple times over their long, storied history. Fifteen years ago in 2010 — during a stretch run of sustained success for the franchise catapulted by a 2008 World Series Championship right here at Citizens Bank Park — the team was accused of sign stealing when Philadelphia Bullpen Coach Mick Billmeyer utilized a pair of binoculars to observe catchers. In 2020 — players on the team even spoke out against the Houston Astros during their own sign-stealing controversy.
To be fair — Major League Baseball Teams knew that something was going on with the Phillies for quite some time. On September 17th, 1900 — the world would find out exactly what that was. And if you looked at the analytics — in 1899 (one year after Murphy instituted his sign-stealing scandal)—the Phillies scored nearly 100 more runs at home. It was even noted that at the games where Murphy was not in attendance — that the Phillies could hardly hit at all.
It turns out that all that the Philadelphia Phillies merely needed was some binoculars, a buzzer, and a certain player on the roster. During a double-header on September 17th against the Cincinnati Reds in Philadelphia in front of more than 4,800 fans — one of the earliest examples of sign-stealing in major league baseball would be exposed in the third inning.
Phillies backup catcher Morgan Murphy had previously been associated with a sign-stealing scheme in Philadelphia in 1898. Then carefully positioned behind an outfield wall whiskey advertisement — he would utilize his field glasses to relay signals to the batter. In 1900 — he would take the scheme to a new level.
Bringing in third base coach Pearce “Petie” Chiles — Murphy would sit in an observatory in the center-field clubhousewith binoculars in-hand. Then — Murphy relayed the signals from the visiting team’s catcher through the use of a telegraph device connected by hard-wire to a buzzer that had previously been buried under the third-base coaches box. Chiles has a noticeable leg-twitch — which some say combined with in detecting the vibrations of the buried buzzer — helped in allowing the scheme to be exposed.
Back in the third-inning during one of the games of the double-header — Reds player Tommy Corcoran had uncovered something in proximity to third base. Before the stadium groundskeeper and a policeman could reach the third base area — Corcoran had dug up the buzzer. He followed the buzzer wire all the way to the Phillies clubhouse— confronting Murphy. Umpire Tim Hurst finally proclaimed, “Back to the mines, men. Think on that eventful day in July when Dewey went into Manila Bay, never giving a tinker’s dam for all of the mines concealed therein. Come on, play ball.”
The Phillies were never punished by the MLB what was uncovered in Sept. 1900. With a final record of 75–63, they wouldn’t even make the playoffs. the Reds finished worse at 62–77. Just MLB history being made in September of 1900. And the outcome of the game itself? The Phillies won of course — by a score of 4–2.
Michael Thomas Leibrandt lives and works in Abington Township, PA.
