By Billy Badour
On Monday, the Houston Astros were given some of the strictest punishments in MLB history for their sign-stealing scandal. For their role in the scandal, Astros manager, A.J. Hinch, and general manager, Jeff Luhnow, were suspended for one year. The Astros then decided to fire both individuals. The Astros organization was also fined $5 million dollars and forfeited future draft picks.
The Astros sign-stealing scandal took place throughout the 2017 championship season, and even into the postseason and World Series. The Astros illegally used electronic devices to steal the catcher’s signs and relay them to the batter so they knew what kind of pitch to expect. The team illegally moved their video replay room closer to the team’s dugout without asking the league. From there, the team moved the live-feed of the catcher’s signs onto a monitor near the dugout. In order to communicate this to the batter, the team pounded on the trash can a certain number of times to signal to a certain kind of pitch. Despite the fact that MLB concluded that “most” position players were involved in the scheme, no players were punished.
The Boston Red Sox are also currently under investigation for sign-stealing during their 2018 championship season. Their scandal is said to be similar in the sense that they used electronic devices to steal the catcher’s signs and relay them to the batter. However, it is likely different from the Astros scandal in how this was accomplished. Their punishment is expected to be given out soon, and be harsh. Current Red Sox manager, Alex Cora, was fired by the team for his role in the scandal. Cora also was part of the 2017 Astros scandal.
The New York Mets manager, Carlos Beltran, was fired Friday for being implicated in the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scandal. That brings the amount of MLB managers that has been fired for the 2017 Astros scandal to 10% of the league.
The Astros sign-stealing scandal has went far beyond just that team and has trickled into other organizations. However, MLB giving strict punishments is a step in the right direction for an organization that has historically turned a blind eye to gaining a competitive advantage.
