Dusty Baker Sparks Massive Fan Outrage After Defending Jose Altuve in Sign Stealing Scandal: “Most Fraudulent Team”

Jose Altuve was part of the Houston Astros team that was found to be cheating by stealing signs from the opposition during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Dusty Baker Sparks Massive Fan Outrage After Defending Jose Altuve in Sign Stealing Scandal: “Most Fraudulent Team”

Jose Altuve and Dusty Baker (Image via MLB)

Former Houston Astros skipper Dusty Baker sparked a massive fan outrage on social media. The 76-year-old recently defended Jose Altuve while discussing the infamous sign-stealing scandal of the team.

In the past decade, the Astros have been one of the teams to beat. The Houston-based side has won 4 American League Pennants (2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022). During this era, Altuve has played a major role in the team’s success.

The team has also won the World Series twice. In 2017, they captured their first title by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 in the Fall Classic. After losing in 2019 against the Washington Nationals and in 2021 against the Atlanta Braves, they were back on top of the MLB mountain in 2022 by beating the Philadelphia Phillies.

While their recent victory has earned wide recognition, their victory in 2017 has often been debated. In November 2019, reports from The Athletic alleged that the AL West side had stolen signs from the opposition pitchers.

The MLB would investigate this and did find the team cheating. The team used a camera in the centre field and stole the signs from the catchers and pitchers, and informed their hitters about the type of pitches during the 2017 and 2018 seasons through either whistles or banging the trash cans.

This led to a major backlash on social media. Many fans urged Commissioner Rob Manfred to strip them of the title. While nothing like that happened, there were some suspensions.

Team manager A.J. Hinch was suspended for one year, and the team was slapped with a $5 million fine. He and General Manager Jeff Luhnow were also fired by the team. They were also made to forfeit their 1st and 2nd round draft picks in 2020 and 2021.

However, no players like Altuve or Carlos Correa, who were seen as team leaders, were punished. In an interview with Time Magazine in 2023, Manfred said that this (letting players go without a penalty) was not his best decision.

In a recent episode of the All The Smoke Baseball podcast, Baker spoke about the scandal that left a huge mark on the team. The veteran, who served as the manager of the team from 2020 to 2023, came to the defense of Altuve and labeled him as one of the “most innocent dude” on the team.

You know the guy who took the brunt of it was really Jose Altuve, and he was really the most innocent dude there. That really affected me, how he was treated and he didn’t deserve it.

Dusty Baker said regarding Jose Altuve

Altuve has been on the receiving end of some huge comments from the fans. Many have called him out after he stopped his teammates from tearing his jersey apart following his American League Championship Series (ALCS) Game 6 walk-off home run against the New York Yankees.

RELATED
Anthony Volpe Committing Error in 1st Game of 2026 Has Fans in Stitches: “Back Like He Never Left”

Social media reacts to Dusty Baker’ comments regarding Jose Altuve

Dusty Baker seemingly pressed the nerve of several fans while defending Jose Altuve in the sign-stealing scandal of the Houston Astros. After the former MLB star and manager’s comment went viral, fans on social media lost it.

Jose Altuve and Dusty Baker
Jose Altuve and Dusty Baker (Image via The Boston Globe)

Users on X again attacked Altuve and the Astros. While some defended the star, many slammed him. One user, who seemed visibly angry by this, wrote, “most fraudulent team” and called out the second baseman.

Check out that and some other reactions from X below:

In 2020, Altuve apologized for the actions of the team. In a brief statement, the infielder claimed to be feeling remorse for the impact this had on their fans and the world of baseball.

RELATED
4x MVP Shohei Ohtani Snaps Cold Home Run Drought With Ice Cube in Broadcasting Booth

Jose Altuve recently recorded his 900th career RBI

Jose Altuve has found his name under the heat once again after Dusty Baker’s recent comments. While the debate regarding the sign-stealing scandal and its consequences continues, Altuve recently celebrated a huge milestone in his career as he recorded his 900th RBI.

Jose Altuve
Jose Altuve (Image via MLB)

This moment came during the clash against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Venezuelan hit a fly ball into center field.

While Julio Rodriguez caught the ball, Brice Matthews took off from third. The Astros star scored easily from third to make it a 3-2 game. Altuve’s sacrifice fly not only gave his side their first lead against the Mariners but also turned out to be his 900th career RBI.

The Astros went on to win the game 4-3 in extra innings. On Thursday, the team lost 8-3 against their division rivals and suffered a 5th defeat in their last 6 games. With this loss, the 2-time World Series winners are left 4th in the AL West standings with a 17-28 record.

Also Read: