Well, the MLB memo stating there will be no Apple Watches allowed during a game wasn’t obeyed by Arizona Diamondbacks staff. D-Backs coach Ariel Prieto was busted for wearing the watch during the National League wild-card game against the Colorado Rockies.
Arizona beat the Rockies in that game, but did the watch have any impact on the outcome? Maybe not, 
but then again, maybe so.
A similar watch was proven to be an advantage to the Boston Red Sox throughout the season and in a September game against the Yankees. The Red Sox were fined for using the device to steal Yankees catcher’s signs and relaying them to Red Sox hitters. And that’s a tremendous advantage.
Yeah, Boston area sports teams were at it again. Deflategate. SpyGate. You know the long list.
Back to Prieto. The coach admitted he knew that having the Apple Watch during the game violated MLB rules and he apologized to D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo. He also offered to turn the device over to league officials. Prieto added he didn’t use the gadget for any illicit purpose and it was on airplane mode, shutting it off to any communication, but that’s all after the fact and the game goes in the books as a Diamondback win.
Question is, do we know for certain it was in airplane mode? And that’s a great question because if that wasn’t the case, it creates a huge advantage to one team in the win-or-go- home Wild Card Game.
While the Red Sox were fined an undisclosed amount, the MLB commissioner confirmed “future violations of this type will be subject to more serious sanctions, including the possible loss of draft picks.”
We’ll wait and see how the league responds but there’s no taking back any cheats that may have helped Arizona win that Wild Card game 11-8.