The Houston Astros are cheaters and I hate them
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of hours, you know that the Astros have been exposed for cheating, at least during 2017, and perhaps in other seasons.
There had been rumors for years that Houston was up to something, but I think we all wanted to believe it was just gamesmanship. During this year’s playoffs, I actually even defended Houston and said that it wasn’t likely they were cheating. Boy was I wrong.
You can read the whole article here if you have a subscription to The Athletic, but if not, here are some highlights.
The Astros had a camera in centerfield pointed at the catcher to try and pick up signs.
The Astros had that camera run to a TV in the hallway between the dugout and the clubhouse.
Two people would watch the TV until they picked up the signs, and on breaking pitches would bang on a trashcan. There is evidence of this on game broadcasts.
https://twitter.com/dbitlefty/status/1194329243607601153?s=21
Apparently, not every player took part and Mike Fiers, who was on the 2017 team, has gone on the record to confirm that this was happening. Carlos Beltran, who was also on the team, has denied it. He's a lying scumbag. Either way, no one is giving back their rings.
In our world as Yankee fans, we were wronged in three very specific ways.
We lost to the Astros in the 2017 ALCS by losing every game in Houston, where the camera was installed. Without that camera, we all want to believe that the Yankees would have won that series easily and we would be chasing our 29th championship. Or maybe we would be celebrating it right now?
We were robbed of a Yankees and Red Sox ALCS in 2017. Houston beat Boston in the ALDS, but without the cameras, the greatest rivalry in sports would have been centerstage for the world. With all the talk in 2017 of the rivalry being BACK, the Astros stole something from the game.
People were mean to me for buying WS tickets and booking my hotel when we were up 3-2 in the ALCS. I don’t believe in Jinx Twitter, but many people do, and those people were rude to me. I should’ve never doubted myself for believing in my team, and was right to plan ahead, because you can’t plan for cheating.
https://twitter.com/JJFromTheBronx/status/922106830473572352
The league will investigate this and a fine will likely be given out, but the Astros will still be the 2017 Champions. Maybe AJ Hinch and some other executives will get a suspension, but nothing too major.
With the current CBA expiring in 2021 and a work stoppage possible, Major League Baseball will look to sweep this under the rug as quickly as possible. If the rest of the league was also doing this, it’s like the steroid scandal all over again, and that is the last thing the league needs.