what type of the practice is known as pitch tipping?
Tipping pitches involves watching your opponent like a well-trained code-breaker. It most often happens when there is a runner at second base, where he is in a unique position to steal any signs the catcher is relaying to the pitcher – so well positioned, in fact, that catchers and pitchers have a special set of signs for that situation. We all know the basic signs – one finger for fastball, two fingers for curve. But with a runner on second, the real sign may be the one right after an indicator: for example, it could be the first sign after the catcher puts down three fingers, or the second sign after he wiggles all of his fingers. Sources: http://personalmoneystore.
One of the most shocking assertions in Selena Roberts’ new book, A-Rod: The Many Faces of Alex Rodriguez, is that Rodriguez, while with the Texas Rangers, intentionally signaled to opposing batters the pitches that his own teammate was about to throw, a practice known as “pitch tipping.” Roberts writes that Rodriguez tipped off opponents in the late innings of one-sided games in exchange for the same favor being returned to him in order to pad his own stats. An active player at Busch Stadium on Monday told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he suspected Rodriguez was engaging in these nefarious tactics when A-Rod played for the Texas Rangers.