PHILADELPHIA — We love conspiracy theories. They are to cognition what paint-by-numbers are to art. Quick, easy fun. World Series Game 3 was one of those made-for-crayon opportunities.
Bryce Harper homered off the first pitch he saw from Lance McCullers Jr., then said something to teammates Nick Castellanos and Alex Bohm in apparent urgency. Twenty Phillies batters came to the plate against McCullers, the Houston starting pitcher. Five of them homered. The Phillies led 7–0 by the time McCullers trudged off the mound in the fifth. That was the final score.
Grab your burnt umber and fill in the blank space: the Phillies must have discovered that McCullers was tipping his pitches.