Sports writer Victoria Grossman discusses how the Astros took advantage of an unprepared league
Following the recent Astros World Series win, it is pertinent to look back at their 2017 and 2018 cheating scandals and how their ramifications still echo throughout the MLB.
In 2019, the news broke that the Houston Astros had been caught using technology to steal signs of upcoming pitches. The Astros had been using a camera in center field to record hand signals relayed from the catcher to the pitcher in order to determine what pitch was to be thrown. After figuring out the upcoming pitch, team and staff members in the dugout would give cues to the batter, such as banging on a trash can. The system was designed to let the batter know which pitch was coming next, giving him an advantage in deciding whether or not to swing.
For those not as familiar with the importance of certain types of pitches in baseball, some pitches are thrown intentionally to move outside of the strike zone to get the batter to swing but decrease the likelihood of it actually being hit. Knowing if one such pitch was coming would prevent the batter from swinging.
Whether or not this system of cheating proved useful to the Astros (it likely did), the team won the World Series in 2017. The cheating continued until 2018, but stopped at some point mid-season, according to reports.
One would think that such an obviously deceitful flout of the rules would result in harsh punishments for both players and the franchise, but the Astros came away from the scandal almost no worse for wear. The franchise was only fined $5 million, had to sacrifice a few draft picks and their general manager and manager (coach) were banned for the year. There were no punishments given to individual players. In fact, Astros bench coach and a major figure in creating the cheating system, Alex Cora, would go on to become the manager of the Boston Red Sox, a team that has seen significant success in the postseason as of late.
As a result of the sign-stealing scandal, the MLB began implementing the use of a communication device between catchers and pitchers. Catchers can press a button on a remote that transmits the desired pitch into the pitcher’s ear via a speaker in his hat. The move has been controversial; most players are in favor, and fans, however, are more undecided.
Baseball is supposed to be a simple game, and these technological devices overcomplicate America’s pastime. Certain aspects of baseball are baked in, such as the complicated array of signs a catcher gives a pitcher, or a runner on second base repeating these signals back to the batter (legal “sign stealing”). These systems would not be needed if the MLB could guarantee that teams would not cheat. However, since they failed to punish the Astros properly, the MLB left the door open for further cheating, and now must take steps to go on the offensive. If the MLB seeks to reconnect with its fan base, it should start by enforcing the existing rules instead of adding complicated technologies to prevent cheating.
