In the aftermath of the stunning 6-0 series sweep at the hands of the ‘Fire Frogs’, local and federal officials have begun an investigation into allegations made by the Tornadoes about the ‘Frogs’ pertaining to a number of issues.

Authorities have been interviewing Tornadoes staff and players in an attempt to determine how the Frogs managed to sweep the Tornadoes, while amassing 17 home runs and 35 runs scored in the six game series.

The series started quietly, but there were indications, looking back, that pointed to possible irregularities. The Frogs raced to a 4-0 lead on home runs by Rosario and Duda off Tornadoes ace Jimmy Nelson. They held on to win game one 4-2. The prolific Tornadoes offense, which had scored 48 runs in their prior 6 games, looked lifeless. This trend would continue as the series progressed.

Game 2 was more of the same, as a scoreless battle was ended by a walk-off HR by Rosario in the 11th. Was that odd? Hmmm. A&C received Matt Albers was making his first appearance of the year, and one pitch into the outing, Rosario had ended proceedings. Albers was visibly upset after the game, throwing his glove into the stands as Rosario circled the bases. The only Tornadoes managed three singles in 11 innings against Davies.

Game 3 continued to see the Tornadoes in misery as Gerritt Cole held the Tornadoes to 5 hits, and the Frogs stole the game with their second consecutive walk off extra inning HR, as Moncada connected off ace reliever Mike Minor in the 10th.

Five HRs in three games against, and three losses later, the Tornadoes came home for the next three games. It was at home where questions began to arise over the way the Frogs were hitting Tornadoes pitchers.

In game 4, the Tornadoes sent Dan Straily to the hill, hoping to break the three loss skid. A home run by Taylor in the first got things going for the Frogs. Additional HRs from Cron and Altherr has the Frogs up 7-2 in the 4th. Things got worse for Straily, as the Frogs has a 9-3 lead after hitting in the 6th. The Tornadoes rallied a little to close the gap, but the Frogs held on for a 9-7 win. After the game, Straily was asked about his outing.
“They were obviously stealing our signs. There’s no way they can hit like that. I mean really. Cron took me deep. That just doesn’t happen. You figure it out.”

Game 5 saw the Tornadoes send Jon Gray to the mound. Gray was coming off a complete game win with 0 walks and 17 Ks. HRs by Souza, Castellanos, Altherr, and Cano put the Frogs up 5-0 before the Tornadoes took a swing in anger. (which they didn’t bother to do until the 7th inning.). Grey plunked Altherr in the third, and both men glared at each other as Altherr took first. Another Cron job in the third, followed by a two run jack from Taylor in the 4th had the Frogs up 9-0. The game ended 10-2. Gray was in no mood to talk later, but he still said a lot. “That’s bush. They obviously steal signs. Cron goes deep again? Altherr goes deep again? 4 jacks in the first? One guy hit a knuckleball out - I never throw one. He hit it like he knew it was coming. Come on.”

Game 6 started with new optimism, but with the undercurrent of the sign stealing controversy. HRs by Ramirez and Chisenhall staked the Tornados to a 3-1 lead after three. But the Frogs then went wild as Altherr, (again), and Cano cranked out long HRs in a 6 run 4th. The Tornados fought back with 4 runs in the 6th to tie things at 7, but Altherr, (again?), went yard in the 7th, and the game ended 8-7 Frogs.

Words were exchanged after the game between Altherr and the Tornadoes dugout. Both teams left the dugouts, but the umpires and security intervened and got both teams off the field without incident.

After the last game, the Tornadoes contacted league officials about the 17 home runs drilled by the Frogs - 12 in the last three games. The team claimed to have video evidence of the Frogs manager and players flashing signs to one another, and there is a rumor that security cams have evidence of someone standing in the outfield terrace with binoculars.

FBI officials, along with the league, are looking into allegations that the Frogs may have been working with a ‘person of interest’ during the series.

Tornadoes Team President Dick Williams said, “We believe that the Frogs cheated. No doubt in my mind. I fully expect the truth to surface as the investigation unfolds.”

When asked about the way the games went, Tornadoes catcher Tony Wolters said, “There’s nothing to say. I think the results speak for themselves. If I call a fastball, and they shake me off, I have no other choice but to stand up and yell out the pitch to the pitcher. At home, the crowd can be noisy.” Center fielder Avi Garcia was also asked about the situation, “Look, as the center fielder, I need to know what the pitcher is throwing, and I have to acknowledge the signs. All I was doing was yelling out the pitch to the other outfielders so they knew too. Sometimes I had to use a hand signal, so I used a curveball throwing motion for a curve, and a fastball was a straight hand at arms length. It’s my job.”

Another clue supposedly found was some footage taken in the Frogs locker room where a grainy image emerged of Altherr and Cron showing their bare backsides to an equipment manager. The manager appears to be injecting something into each backside. TMZ was showing the video earlier today, explaining that the video was actually taken by a fellow named Yuri.

CON News will continue to cover this story as it unfolds.