Evan Gattis admits the Astros of stealing signs
Evan Gattis admits in recent series of tweets that the Astros did steal signs off opposing pitchers.
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[Pic Credit: Sports Illustrated]
The Houston Astros has become a popular name in the recent decade. The current defending champions won their second World Series title in 2022 after beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in the fall classic. They have reached the finals four times in the past six seasons, losing out in 209 and 2021 to the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves, respectively. However, it is their 2017 championship that has brought up several questions.
The Astros reached the 2017 World Series after defeating the New York Yankees 4-3 in the American League Championship Series (ALCS). They would go on to win their first title by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3. The world was left in shock after the MLB found the Astros guilty of sign stealing from opposition pitchers in 2017 and 2018. The franchise would fire manager A. J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow. Since then, various experts, former players, and fans have debated whether the team should be stripped of the title.
Recently former Houston Astros slugger Evan Gattis tweeted out the irony of getting shut out in games where the team was banging trash cans to alert the batters what pitch was coming up next. ”The craziest thing about cheating year is facing a guy like yu darvish and getting shut out knowing what’s coming,’” he said in a now-deleted tweet.
This tweet led to a Yankee fan asking him about his home run in Game 7 of the ALCS, which the Astros won 4-0 to advance through. He kept it short and said yes. He was leading off the bottom of the fourth inning. The game was still scoreless by that point. Gattis slammed a 2-2 pitch by CC Sabathia and sent it deep into left field to give his team the lead.
Related: Houston Astros star Jose Altuve expresses desire to retire with team
What happened to the Astros afterward?
As soon as the MLB released the statement finding Astros guilty of sign stealing, many fans raised their voices and demanded the Astros be stripped of the title. The Astros were handed a $5 million fine and were docked several top draft picks as a punishment. Manager Hinch and GM Luhnow were handed a one-year ban by MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred. The players, however, received no punishments.
CC Sabathia, the pitcher who recorded that Game 7 ALCS loss, was left in fury when he found out about the scandal. In 2020, he let out his frustrations and claimed that they (Yankees) should have won the world series that year. He also mentioned that the games were very close, one hit could change it and the Astros stole it from them.
In his six-year major league career, the designated hitter and catcher played for the Braves before joining the Astros. In his short career, he batted with an average of .248 with 139 home runs and 410 RBIs. He became a free agent in 2018 and a year later, he announced that he is no longer pursuing a professional baseball career. However, he has said one thing: they don’t feel like they did anything wrong as they believed that other teams were doing so too.
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Nikhil Sonmali
(1112 Articles Published)