Houston Astros players (pictured above) gather after an exciting play. The Astros find themselves at the epicenter of baseball’s biggest scandal since the Black Sox incident over a century ago (Courtesy of Flickr).
Baseball has a long tradition as a sport of respect and sportsmanship to the point of it being a fault. The players have an overwhelming sense of respect for each other and for the sport and it’s a line that’s not often crossed. The Houston Astros have broken that trust and respect and successfully united the entire MLB community around one common cause: hating the Astros.
A recent investigation by the MLB into the Astros organization found that during at least the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the Astros used a camera placed in the outfield to steal the opposing team’s catchers’ signs to the pitcher. Inside the Houston dugout was a monitor displaying that image. The players would then bang on a trash can to communicate with the batter at the plate. This is clear, blatant cheating that can be seen in videos of the incidents, and most players on the team had participated in it.
Not only did the Astros cheat, but they won the World Series by doing it. Players from the 2017 season Astros team attempt to say that the cheating did not affect the outcome of the championship, or that they would have won regardless of the cheating. In reality, the 2017 World Series was close and went to seven games. In that close of a series, any small advantage could have swayed the outcome in one direction.
The consensus by MLB pitchers seems to be that knowing which pitch is coming is a greater advantage than even performance-enhancing drugs; more than enough to sway the outcome of a series. Furthermore, during that World Series, the Astros averaged nearly seven runs during the home games, compared to just 3.5 while in Los Angeles—where they did not have the ability to know the call prior to the pitch.
While there has been no conclusive answer on cheating during the most recent 2019 season by the MLB, several teams such as the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees have accused them of it. The Astros continue to deny it.
Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki has said he believes there is “no question” whether the Astros cheated or not during the 2019 World Series, explaining, “We could hear it from their dugout. We heard their whistling. What are you going to do?” Suzuki told The Washington Post.
Obviously, the Astro’s sign-stealing antics were immoral, but the bigger problem is how the MLB handled the issue.
Following the investigation’s conclusion, which ultimately found a combination of efforts by the players and staff together, a one-year suspension was handed to the coach and GM of the team, in addition to a $5 million fine. No players from the 2017 team were punished in any official capacity, essentially being granted immunity for participating in the investigation.
This scandal was disappointing to fans, hurtful to other players and an absolute embarrassment to the entire baseball community. The fact that these players have been allowed to continue to play in the MLB is aggravating, but the fact that these players received absolutely no punishment is simply unbelievable in the eyes of the baseball community. How and why can such a widespread cheating scandal go unpunished on such a large scale?
The answer is greed. The MLB has now made publicly clear their commitment to protecting their profits over the integrity and traditions of America’s favorite pastime.
The players, on the other hand, have allowed mob justice to ensue. In the first three spring training games of 2020, six Houston Astros players were hit by pitches, some earning themselves broken ribs.
Fans across the nation have taken it upon themselves to go about their own means of punishment. The Astros have been met with heckling at every stadium they’ve played at, and it seems this behavior can only be expected to continue throughout the season which hasn’t even officially started yet. No matter what team you’re a fan of, it seems that nobody is an Astros fan at the moment, and it should stay that way.
The MLB may not have given the Astros what they deserve, but baseball and its fans will.