Mets Broadcast Showcases What PitchCom Transmitters Sound Like in MLB Player's Ears

Now this is inside baseball.
PitchCom Transmitter on Mets catcher Torrens's shin guard
PitchCom Transmitter on Mets catcher Torrens's shin guard / Screengrab via SNY
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MLB has used PitchCom since 2022 so pitchers and catchers can transmit calls instead of visually giving signs. The transmitters have helped with the pitch clock, too, since pitchers now have less time to shake off signs. But have you ever heard what the system sounds like in a player's ear?

Well, SNY and New York Mets field reporter Steve Gelbs gave us a walkthrough on Thursday night of the sounds that are passed directly into the ears of MLB stars as calls are made. The default English setting sounds like a generic, almost Siri-like voice spewing pitch types and locations. You can watch the fun segment and hear it for yourself below:

Gelbs mentioned there are default Spanish sounds, too, which includes all pitches and calls except for "sweeper" because, well, there isn't a Spanish word for sweeper.

The device is customizable allowing you to record your own calls or in other languages, which some players and clubs have had fun with before. This isn't the first time we've seen a PitchCom demo at the MLB level as the Colorado Rockies went through how they use the devices last season.

Still, it's a great inside baseball segment that probably helped a lot of fans figure out why pitchers are always messing with their hats or covering their ears with their gloves.

One mystery still stands, though—who is the mysterious PitchCom voice? Gelbs asked that question and didn't get a clear answer, but he did provide a prime suspect—the PitchCom founder, which could either be John Hankins or Craig Filicetti.


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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.