Allie Wenskoski, Sophomore
Last November 2019, MLB Houston Astros were found to have been cheating on their 2017 World Series win. They were allegedly stealing the other teams signs. Apparently, they had a camera set up in the stands to capture what signs the other team’s catcher was telling their pitcher. They were then using this information to know what kind of pitch was coming next. Doing this is highly forbidden in MLB rules and is considered cheating.
Just yesterday, the team’s punishments were announced. There is quite a list. Their former manager, AJ Hinch, was given a one year suspension. Additionally, the Astros’ GM (General Manager) was also suspended, Jeff Luhnow. Though not apart of the consequences, the Houston Astros fired both Hinch and Luhnow. However, there was more. The Astros were fined $5 million, which is the maximum amount allowed by the MLB’s constitution. They also forfeit their first and second round draft picks in both the 2020 and 2021 drafts. This is a crucial blow as most top prospects for years to come are drafted in those two rounds. Their former assistant GM Brandon Taubman was also suspended for one year. He had previously been fired from the Astros as well.📷
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred unveiled a nine page report. In the report, it stated that the Astros have completely cooperated in the investigation. The Astros owner Jim Crane, was completely unaware of the situation and sign stealing. The sign stealing occurred over both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, though stopped partially way through 2018. They believed that the sign stealing was no longer important for winning. Sign stealing also did not happen at all during the 2019 season. Alex Cora, their bench coach, was heavily involved in the situation. But in spite of this, top baseball officials were not aware at all either.
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