By MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Astros manager AJ Hinch is blowing his own whistle on sign stealing and pitch tipping: He's had enough of allegations about Houston hitters going out of bounds to decipher what's coming at the plate.

Hinch weighed in again Thursday on an issue that won't seem to go away this postseason. He was asked before Game 4 of the AL Championship Series about reports that indicated the New York Yankees suspected the Astros of whistling from their dugout during the opener to communicate pitch selection to their batters. The reports said Major League Baseball investigated and determined Houston didn't break any rules.

Hinch calls it "a joke" and "ridiculous," but also says he understands the gamesmanship. He says there's "nothing bad going on."

Houston made headlines last year following suspicions of illegal sign stealing when a man associated with the Astros was caught pointing a cellphone into opposing dugouts.

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