Following a series loss to the Astros and a blown five-run lead to the Nationals Wednesday night, mainstream baseball fans are readily prepared to dismiss the Mets’ June resurgence as a brief respite from mediocrity. These fans may end up being correct, but at the moment, they’re missing what’s right in front of them.

If not for an illogical rule, the Mets would currently be a Wild Card team.

In order to keep things moving, we will have to skip a considerable amount of the discourse surrounding Mets closer Edwin Diaz, who was suspended for 10 games for using an illegal substance on the mound on June 24.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that he was extremely guilty. He has repeatedly denied this, arguing that he only used rosin. Umpires also didn’t give him the opportunity to wash his hands, as they often do for pitchers with overly sticky hands. But all of that is irrelevant to the real problem here.

If a team loses its best starting pitcher for 10 games, someone would simply have to fill in for a spot start. The pitcher would return after another week and hardly be missed, regardless of his ability. If a team loses its best relief pitcher for 10 games, however, the bullpen implodes.

There are at least three Mets losses in the last week where Diaz would have likely made a difference if he was available. He might have been able to pitch in at least two of those games. Instead, an exhausted bullpen had to carry on without him and struggled.

On June 29, New York allowed five runs in the last two innings against Houston and lost 9-6. The following day, the two teams went to extra innings and the Mets simply ran out of pitching, sending journeyman minor leaguer Matt Festa out to give up five runs in the 11th inning.

On July 1, the team took a 9-2 lead in the top of the 10th inning but still had to have all hands on deck as another minor leaguer, Tyler Jay, nearly blew it as Festa did. New York hung on to win 9-7. On Wednesday night, the team took a 5-0 lead but allowed seven unanswered runs late in the game. Most of these runs were allowed by young starter Christian Scott, who the team left on the mound for the sixth in order to buy the bullpen an additional inning.

All of this led to Thursday when Mets starter Jose Quintana pitched seven innings of shutout baseball before Adrian Houser gave up a solo home run in the eighth and the team lost 1-0.

Even with the wheels falling off late in games, the Mets are still red hot at the plate and firmly in the Wild Card hunt with a 42-43 record. They scored five or more runs for nine straight games between June 23 and July 3. They’re still playing good baseball.

Because Diaz is being treated like a starting pitcher for his offense, however, the team’s remaining relief pitchers are simply being stretched too thin to compete. Diaz will return to the team on July 6, but the damage may already be done. No bullpen in the league needs the All-Star Break more.

Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco has been suspended 10 games for using an illegal substance on the mound. He will not appeal the decision.

Blanco was caught with a sticky substance in his glove before the fourth inning of Houston’s game Tuesday against the Athletics. He was ejected after umpires ruled that the substance was explicitly illegal.

“I felt something inside the glove,” umpire Erich Bacchus said after the game. “It was the stickiest stuff I’ve felt on a glove since we’ve been doing this for a few years now.”

Blanco claims that he did not know it was against the rules to use rosin on his non-dominant hand and admitted to putting some on his forearm. He claims that his sweat could have transmitted some of the rosin to his glove, resulting in the failed inspection. This conflicts the report given by umpires, who ruled out rosin in the moment.  

After some consideration with his agent, Blanco eventually decided not to contest MLB’s decision. Astros general manager Dana Brown vouched for the pitcher after the ruling was announced.

“Ronel Blanco is a good human being, he’s a good dude, and he’s worked his butt off to get into the starting rotation,” Brown said. “I think he sees it as ‘Look, I don’t want to extend this any longer. I want to get back to the business of pitching.’”

Blanco has been lights-out early in his third MLB season, earning a 4-0 record and 2.09 ERA through eight starts. The shining jewel in his young career came in early April, when he threw a no-hitter in his eighth career start. He has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing Astros season, as the perennial World Series contenders are currently 18-25, fourth in the A.L. West division.

Blanco’s suspension began Wednesday night and should result in two missed starts, which could give Houston short-term rotation problems. He will be available to pitch again in late May.

Spanish soccer club Leganes was just acquired by an investment group led by former Houston Astros GM Jeff Luhnow. The purchase comes just two years after Luhnow and then-Astros manager AJ Hinch were suspended, then subsequently fired, in the sign-stealing scandal.

Luhnow and his investment group Blue Crow Sports purchased the team from Victoria Pavon and Felipe Moreno for an undisclosed amount. Blue Crow is a group that contains investors from the United States, Mexico, El Salvador and Canada. The group recently purchased the Mexican club Cancun FC.

Leganes is a club based out of Southern Madrid in the Spanish League’s Second Division. They finished 12th in Spain’s Second Division this past season. The club was acquired in 2008 by Pavon and Moreno when it was in the third division and in debt. Since then, Leganes has reached the first division, La Liga, in 2016 and spent four seasons there before being relegated after the conclusion of the 2020 season. The club most notably beat Real Madrid on the way to the Copa Del Rey semifinals in 2018.

Luhnow says his plan as team president is to build the youth and women’s teams and push the club further forward technology-wise. “All sports have used technology to create advantages, and that is what we want to do. We have a group of people with experience including the Premier League and the MLS who know how to use technology, and Leganes can take advantage of that. Soccer is a bit behind other sports … but that is going to change in the coming years,” Luhnow said.

Luhnow noted that his purchase of Leganes was due to the belief that Spanish soccer has the greatest growth potential in Europe, especially due to the strict cost-control measures Spanish soccer employs and a recent investment deal with a private equity firm. “We will do all we can to improve this club,” Luhnow said.

In my last game write-up of this series, I basically buried the Houston Astros, declaring them DOA after they fell down 0-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays in this year’s ALCS. But, the MLB’s least likable team has managed to stay alive by winning the last two games, and game five in dramatic fashion when Astros’ batter Carlos Correa hit a walk-off home run to give the Astro’s a 4-3 win.

Now the question looms about whether or not the Astros can become the first team since the 2004 Red Sox to come back from down 3-0 to win a series. I’m positive that nobody is rooting for Houston and but still comebacks like these are a special thing and a special narrative. I am sure that the MLB would love to get a rating boost off the tide of a potential 3-0 comeback.

“It’s just been a tough two games, and hey, they play good,” Kevin Kiermaier said. “We know we have a really good opponent over there, and we have to come out tomorrow early and often with the bats and let Blake [Snell] do his thing and try to get some runs for him.” The Ray’s have looked dominant for most of their postseason run but seem to be on their heels. They have Snell and pitcher Charlie Morton on deck if needed but I know they will want to close this out sooner rather than later.

Game six is at 6 p.m. on Friday on TBS.

Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly earned himself an eight-game suspension last week for causing the benches to clear during a Dodgers-Astros when he hit Astros batters with a few pitches and then visibly mocked the team to their faces. A week later on a podcast hosted by his teammate Ross Stripling, Kelly explained his anger and criticized the Astros over their handling of a cheating scandal that broke this offseason. “The people who took the fall for what happened is nonsense,” Kelly said. “Yes, everyone is involved. But the way that [sign-stealing system] was run over there was not from coaching staff…. They’re not the head boss in charge of that thing. It’s the players. So now the players get the immunity, and all they do is go snitch like a little b—-, and they don’t have to get fined, they don’t have to lose games. When you take someone’s livelihood … to save your own ass, that’s what I don’t like. Cheating? They cheated. Everyone knows they’re cheaters. They know they’re cheaters. It’s over. That’s been there, done that. But now they mess it up by ruining other people’s lives, so they f—ed it up twice…. When you taint someone’s name to save your own name, this is one of the worst things that you could probably do…. That really friggin’ bugs me. I think I’ll be irritated forever.”

This was reportedly taped earlier in August before the MLB heard his appeal to his suspension and the result of that appeal is still to be determined but these comments likely won’t do much to help his case since he continued to criticize the Astros and the MLB’s handling of the situation as a whole.

Following a brawl during Sunday’s game between the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros, the MLB brought down the hammer on A’s batter Ramon Laureano who charged the Astros dugout by giving him a six-game suspension and Astros batting coach Alex Cintrón, who received a 20 game suspension for apparently egging Laureano on.

“I guess it was fun for him to do that,” Laureano said. “But I’m a man, I’m a freaking man. Whatever happens, happens. And I’ll take it. I couldn’t keep my cool, and I should have and I wasted my time with that guy.”

The Astros have been no strangers to hot tempers this season which is no surprise given that backlash was expected after a cheating scandal hit the team last offseason. Earlier in the baseball restart, Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly got an eight-game suspension after he got into an argument with an Astros batter that cleared the benches, which led to criticism directed at the MLB considering no Astros player got that long of a suspension for a said cheating scandal. Laureano is appealing the suspension since the six-game suspension holds much more significance in the shortened season and is closer to a 16-game suspension for a normal-length season.

The abuse directed at the Houston Astros continues as tempers boiled over during Sunday’s game between the Astros and the Oakland A’s when A’s batter Ramon Laureano got hit by a pitch and took exception to it. Tempers got so high so fast that he ended up charging the Astros dugout which will certainly cause some suspensions for disregarding COVID-19 social-distancing protocols,

This is a pretty clear reaction less to the pitch or the words said and more to the Astros cheating scandal that was revealed the last offseason that they reportedly spied on pitching signs and banged on a trash can to signal to their batter what type of pitch was coming. The Astros have already been the target of anger this season when Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly threw some “wild” pitches toward them which earned him an eight-game suspension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIrk4JU34VY

This likely won’t be the end to the conflict with the Astros despite the fact that the MLB seems to be defending them more than most teams when they suspended Kelly for eight games, more than any Astros players were suspended. The Astros sins won’t be forgotten anytime soon, and it is unclear where tempers will flair next.

If there were any winners from sports getting shutdown, which there weren’t, but if there were… then the sole winner was the Houston Astros. After a tumultuous offseason, a major cheating scandal involving the Astros broke and stirred up a lot of nasty feeling within the league. The canceled season seemed like a godsend for the team since it was inevitable that they would take a verbal beating from the fans and get hit by a few more “stray pitches” than normal. In all honesty, with how much baseball has lost its mind recently, I did forget about the whole scandal until relief pitcher for the Dodgers Joe Kelly reminded me and them that some people still hold grudges.

While immature Kelly’s “wild” pitches and outright mocking of Astros batters, including Carlos Correa, was a very enjoyable watch and aggravated the Astros so much that the benches had to be cleared in blatant disregard of social distancing. Kelly made the Astros so mad that they actually forgot about the global pandemic. This was likely the first of many issues that the Astros will have this season facing teams that are aggravated by their actions and will be seeking out their own form of frontier justice. The Dodgers had a special gripe considering that they played the Astros in the World Series where they cheated, but I doubt that they will be the only team to express their frustrations.

Former Astros’ all-star Jimmy Wynn died Thursday at the age of 78. A fan-favorite in the 1960s and ’70s, Wynn was given the nickname “The Toy Cannon” for his hitting power and blasting long distance loopers that would send fans into a frenzy. The Astros announced Wynn had died in Houston Thursday but did not give more details.

“Jimmy’s success on the field helped build our franchise from its beginnings,” the Astros said in a statement. “After his retirement, his tireless work in the community impacted thousands of young people in Houston. Although he is no longer with us, his legacy will live on at Minute Maid Park, at the Astros Youth Academy and beyond.”

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Wynn was working in the Astros’ front office as community outreach executive before his death.

Listed at 5’9, 160 pounds in his playing days, Wynn was known as a long-ball hitter with unique power. On June 10, 1967, he hit a bomb that carried above the scoreboard in left-center field before dropping onto the highway outside Cincinnati’s Crosley field.

Nearly three years later, Wynn was back at it again. In a game against the Braves on April 12, 1970, he made an even bigger statement crushing a pitch from Phil Niekro that traveled 500 feet down the left field line landing in the distant upper deck of the Astrodome.

In a career that spanned 15 years, Wynn played his first 11 with the Astros before short stints with the Dodgers, Braves, Brewers and Yankees. Upon his retirement, he was Houston’s franchise leader in hits, home runs, RBIs and walks. In total, Wynn compiled 291 homers, 964 RBIs and 225 stolen bases.

Among his accomplishments were two years of exceptional all-around play. He lead the league in walks (148) in 1969 and stole a career-high 43 bases in 1965. He also scored 100 or more runs three times with the Astros. Wynn never won a World Series, only appearing once on the big stage, but was able to hit at least 20 home runs in eight straight seasons including a career-high 33 in 1969.

His No. 24 jersey was retired by the Astros on June 25, 2005, and he was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on August 3, 2019.

The Astros took the field on Saturday in West Palm Beach, Florida, to face the Nationals in their first spring training game since the team was punished for its role in sign stealing during the 2017 MLB Playoffs. The Nationals had previously defeated the Astros in the 2019 World Series just four months ago.

Although Houston was considered the home-team at FITTEAM Ballpark, the majority of people in attendance were Nationals’ fans and they proceeded to boo the starting lineup and the Astros’ mascot Orbit.

“There were a lot of Nationals fans here — we had a lot of fans here too — you could tell who was for us and who was against us,” new Astros manager Dusty Baker told CBS Sports following the game. “All in all, it wasn’t too bad. You kind of expect to get some (boos), but like I said, they weren’t too bad.”

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Baker must have missed the moment when the stadium showed a video showcasing Astros’ pennant highlights that was played prior to the start of the game. Fans also brought in signs mocking the team including one that was confiscated by security that read “Houston [asterisk]’s”.

Commissioner Rob Manfred announced last week that teams will face severe punishment for throwing at batters regardless if it’s against Houston or not.

“We have been working on for some time a memorandum about being hit by pitches, intentionally throwing at batters,” Manfred said during a press conference last week. “It’s really dangerous, really a dangerous undertaking, and completely independent of the Astros investigation we will be issuing at the beginning of this week a memorandum on hit by pitches which will increase the ramifications of that type of behavior.”

The boos heard in spring training are just a preview of what’s to come in the regular season when the Astros travel to opposing team’s stadiums.

Oakland Athletics pitcher and former Astros‘ pitcher Mike Fiers has reportedly received death threats after revealing that Houston stole signs during the 2017 playoffs in a report to The Athletic released in November. Fiers was a member of the Astros during that time and exposed Houston’s use of cameras to illegally steal signs. Following the season, he signed with Detroit and was later traded to Oakland.

“Whatever, I don’t care. I’ve dealt with a lot of death threats before. It’s just another thing on my plate,” Fiers told the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday. “If I’m worried about any retaliation, I’m not going to be ready for the season.”

During a press conference on Tuesday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said, “We will take every possible step to protect Mike Fiers wherever he’s playing, whether it’s in Houston or somewhere else.”

Redsox legend David Ortiz bashed Fiers as he spoke to the media from the team’s spring training facility in Florida Thursday.

“I’m mad at this guy, the pitcher who came out talking about it,” Ortiz told ESPN. “And let me tell you why. Oh, after you make your money, after you get your ring, you decide to talk about it. Why don’t you talk about it during the season when it was going on? Why didn’t you say, ‘I don’t want to be no part of it?’ So you look like you’re a snitch. Why you gotta talk about it after? That’s my problem. Why nobody said anything while it was going on?”

Fiers hasn’t responded to Ortiz and told The Athletic on Wednesday “I can defend myself” and doesn’t need extra security from the MLB. However, he did mention his concern for the safety of his family, according to the Chronicle. Fiers also claimed he was heavily involved with the Astros’ operation and accepts full responsibility.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

“I said from the beginning, ‘I’m not away from this. I was part of that team, I was one of those guys,'” Fiers said. “Suspensions, fines — I’m willing to take as much punishment as they do. If they ask me to [return the ring], it’s not the end of the world.”

Commissioner Rob Manfred held a press conference Tuesday, his second in five days, to explain his reasoning for not punishing Houston Astros’ players. Manfred claimed the MLBPA could have reprimanded players and said, “they originally approached the players’ union with a list of players they’d grant immunity to, but that the union pushed back and demanded full immunity in exchange for cooperation,” according to CBS Sports.

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Executive Director of the MLBPA, Tony Clark released a statement Tuesday in response to Manfred’s claims:

“The day after The Athletic published its Nov. 12 article, Major League Baseball informed the Players Association it would be conducting an investigation, and that it would want to interview players as a part of that investigation. MLB said from the outset that it was not its intention to discipline players. This was not surprising because the applicable rules did not allow for player discipline, because even if they did players were never notified of the rules to begin with, and because in past cases involving electronic sign stealing MLB had stated that Club personnel were responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules.Against this backdrop, the Association on Nov. 13 sought and received confirmation from the league that the players interviewed and any other players would not be disciplined in connection with the allegations made in the article. We received that confirmation promptly on the evening of Nov. 13, and the player interviews began days later.Any suggestion that the Association failed to cooperate with the Commissioner’s investigation, obstructed the investigation, or otherwise took positions which led to a stalemate in the investigation is completely untrue. We acted to protect the rights of our members, as is our obligation under the law.Over the last two weeks, the Association and MLB have had regular dialogue on potential rule changes affecting sign stealing, in-game technology and video, data access and usage, Club audits and disclosures, player education, and enforcement – including the potential for player discipline. Written proposals have been exchanged, and we have made it clear to MLB that no issue is off the table, including player discipline. This is a pivotal time for our game, and these are critically important issues. How the parties handle the next several weeks will significantly affect what our game looks like for the next several decades. The opportunity is now to forge a new path forward.”

In Manfred’s Sunday press conference, he discussed the decision to not strip the Astros’ 2017 World Series title.

“The idea of an asterisk or asking for a piece of metal back seems like a futile act,” Manfred said in his press conference. “People will always know something was different about the 2017 season, and whether we made that decision right or wrong, we undertook a thorough investigation, and had the intestinal fortitude to share the results of the investigation, even when those results were not very pretty.”

Manfred confirmed Tuesday that the Astros did in fact use sign stealing during the 2017 postseason.

“The garbage can signaling went on in the postseason,” Manfred said. “There was conflicting evidence on that point. In an investigation you often have conflicting evidence. And it was my view the more credible evidence was that they continued to use the scheme in the postseason.”

The Redsox are currently under investigation for sign stealing in the 2018 postseason and more information will be reported when available.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke for the first time since doling out punishment to the Houston Astros for the organization’s role in sign stealing during the 2017 World Series. In a press conference on Sunday, Manfred addressed the contributing factors leading to his decision.

“When we began the investigation after we became aware of the Houston situation, we started with an important and fundamental goal,” Manfred said. “That was goal was to make sure that we found the facts, completed the investigation, found out what was going on, and put ourselves in position to be as transparent with our fans and other clubs. People had a right to know what happened and we achieved that goal.”

Manfred initially suspended manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for one year due to their role in the scheme and the Astros subsequently fired both shortly after Manfred’s decision. The team was also fined $5 million which is the highest amount allowed in the MLB Constitution and were also stripped of multiple draft picks.

Although these punishments were justified, fans and players of opposing teams questioned why Astros’ players faced zero punishment. “I understand people’s desire to have the players pay a price for what went on here,” Manfred said in an ESPN interview. “I think if you watch the players, watch their faces when they have to deal with this issue publicly, they have payed a price. To think that they’re skipping down the road into spring training happy, that’s just a mischaracterization of where we are.”

During the interview, Manfred later added, “Independent of what the GM did, the manager did, (the players) have an obligation to play by the rules and they didn’t do it. I understand when people say the players should’ve been punished. I understand why they feel that way … If I was in a world where I could’ve found all the facts without granting immunity, I would’ve done that.”

In essence, Manfred claims the players are being punished enough by having to deal with public embarrassment.

“I believed that the most fundamental obligation was to get the facts, put them out there, and let people make their own judgment,” Manfred said. “If you look at the face of the Houston players as they’ve been out there publicly addressing the situation, they’ve been hurt by this.”

When addressing the claims that Astros’ second baseman Jose Altuve wore a buzzer or a certain device under his jersey to detect what pitches were coming, Manfred replied, “You’re never 100 percent sure in any of these things, but these were my best judgments.We were aware of the (Altuve video) well before we commenced the investigation. It was in fact part of the investigation. Here’s where I came down on it: the players were candid about 2017 and the fact they violated the rules in 2017. They were candid and consistent that the rules were violated in 2018. They were equally consistently in their denials about this buzzer situation. I think in my own mind, it was hard for me to figure out why they would tell us — given that they were immune — why they would be truthful and admit they did the wrong thing and ’17, admit they did the wrong thing in ’18, and then lie about what was going on in ’19.”

The Red Sox are also awaiting punishment for their involvement with sign stealing during the 2018 World Series. Manfred says he expects the investigation will conclude by the end of next week, according to CBS Sports.

Former MLB pitcher Mike Bolsinger filed a civil lawsuit against the Houston Astros Monday accusing the team of improper business practices and negligence related to the sign stealing scandal.

Bolsing is being represented by attorney Ben Meiselas of Los Angeles firm Geragos & Geragos. Meiselas is a prominent sports lawyer who recently represented Colin Kaepernick in his collusion grievance case against the NFL. Bolsinger is seeking $31 million in bonuses that Houston received upon winning the 2017 World Series and would like a portion of the money donated to children’s charities in Los Angeles. He also wants to establish a fund for “retired baseball players who need financial assistance,” according to CBS Sports.

The 32-year-old made 48 appearances in the MLB from 2014-17 and the majority of his career was spent with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His last start was against the Astros in August 2017  where he gave up four hits and three walks after facing eight batters. Bolsinger claims the bad outing cost him a longer career in the big leagues. “I was an older guy. They had younger guys to call up,” he told Armour. “Let’s say that (Astros game) doesn’t happen … I probably don’t get sent down. But at that point, they probably lost faith in me and were over it.”

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According to Bolsinger’s complaint, he was the victim of sign stealing in his last game and has proof that the Astro’s made 12 “bangs” in the dugout that informed batters of stolen signs and what pitches were coming. He claims that Astros’ players knew what type of pitch he was throwing 40% of the time.

Following his last appearance Bolsinger wound up in Japan pitching for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He is currently a free agent with MLB career stats consisting of an ERA of 4.92 in 48 games pitched with an 8-19 record.

Former Yankees’ starting pitcher CC Sabathia did not hold back following the statement released by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred that confirmed the Houston Astros stole signs against New York in the 2017 American League Championship Series.

“It’s weird, like it changes all the time,” Sabathia said while appearing on Showtime’s Inside the NFL on Tuesday night. “When I first heard it, I was upset, and then as investigations went on … I was like, well, we can’t go back and play the games. … But as more information started to come out, I’m like, we played a seven-game series in 2017, ALCS, and we lost really on kind of like one pitch.

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Ironically the Yankees lost all four away games at Minute Maid Park where the Astros used a camera in center field and sound effects in the dugout to steal signs.

“As everything’s been coming out and the more facts that we get, it’s getting frustrating, man, to sit here and know that late in my career I could’ve had a title, maybe ’17 or maybe ’18. But we got cheated out of a team kind of doing something that’s not within the rules of the game.”

Following the release of Manfred’s findings, the Astros fired general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch. The MLB also gave both men one-year suspensions. The Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora for his participation in the scandal as bench coach for Houston in 2017 and he was also suspended for one year by the league.

The Yankees had lost to the Red Sox in the 2018 American League Division Series where Boston allegedly stole signs. They are currently under investigation and more information will be reported when available.

Although the culprits were handed severe punishments, Sabathia wasn’t completely satisfied. “Vacate it,” he told Showtime referencing Houston’s 2017 World Title. “I wouldn’t be mad at that.”

Red Sox Manager Alex Cora was fired Tuesday after the team was made aware of his involvement in sign stealing during his time as a bench coach for the Houston Astros in 2017. He is currently being investigated for doing the same thing during the 2018 World Series with Boston.

On Tuesday a statement provided by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred implicated Cora’s wrongdoing.

“Early in the season, Alex Cora, the Astros’ Bench Coach, began to call the replay review room on the replay phone to obtain the sign information. On at least some occasions, the employees in the replay review room communicated the sign sequence information by text message, which was received on the smart watch of a staff member on the bench, or in other cases on a cell phone stored nearby. Approximately two months into the 2017 season, a group of players, including Carlos Beltrán, discussed that the team could improve on decoding opposing teams’ signs and communicating the signs to the batter. Cora arranged for a video room technician to install a monitor displaying the center field camera feed immediately outside of the Astros’ dugout. (The center field camera was primarily used for player development purposes and was allowed under MLB rules at the time when used for that purpose.) Witnesses have provided largely consistent accounts of how the monitor was utilized. One or more players watched the live feed of the center field camera on the monitor, and after decoding the sign, a player would bang a nearby trash can with a bat to communicate the upcoming pitch type to the batter. (Witnesses explained that they initially experimented with communicating sign information by clapping, whistling, or yelling, but that they eventually determined that banging a trash can was the preferred method of communication.) Players occasionally also used a massage gun to bang the trash can. Generally, one or two bangs corresponded to certain off-speed pitches, while no bang corresponded to a fastball. Witnesses consistently describe this new scheme as player-driven, and with the exception of Cora, non-player staff, including individuals in the video replay review room, had no involvement in the banging scheme. However, witnesses made clear that everyone proximate to the Astros’ dugout presumptively heard or saw the banging.”

The Red Sox issued a statement Tuesday following Cora’s dismissal. “We collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward and we mutually agreed to part ways. This is a sad day for us. Alex is a special person and a beloved member of the Red Sox. We are grateful for his impact on our franchise. We will miss his passion, his energy and his significant contributions to the communities of New England and Puerto Rico,” said Red Sox owner John Henry.

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Cora also issued a statement via the Red Sox which read, “We agreed today that parting ways was the best thing for the organization. I do not want to be a distraction to the Red Sox as they move forward.” Cora leaves Boston with a 192-132 record and a World Series title in 2018. The league’s investigation of Boston’s alleged sign stealing is ongoing and more information will be reported when available.

The Astros fired general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch Monday following Major League Baseball’s investigation that indicated the team was guilty of sign stealing in the 2017 postseason.

The MLB handed down one-year suspensions to both Luhnow and Hinch, but Astros’ team owner, Jim Crane took it a step further. During a press conference Monday, Crane said firing Luhnow and Hinch was “going above and beyond the MLB’s penalty.” He later added, “We need to move forward with a clean slate.”

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Commissioner Rob Manfred gave details in his press release Monday.

“On November 12, 2019, former Houston Astros player Mike Fiers publicly alleged in an article published by Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic that the Astros had engaged in sign-stealing methods in 2017 that violated MLB’s rules. The allegations in the article created significant concern among many of our fans and other MLB Clubs regarding the adherence to our rules by those participating in our games, and the principles of sportsmanship and fair competition. As I have previously stated, I treat these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and I instructed our Department of Investigations (“DOI”) to conduct a thorough investigation. I believe transparency with our fans and our Clubs regarding what occurred is extremely important, and this report is my attempt to achieve that objective. At the outset, I also can say our investigation revealed absolutely no evidence that Jim Crane, the owner of the Astros, was aware of any of the conduct described in this report. Crane is extraordinarily troubled and upset by the conduct of members of his organization, fully supported my investigation, and provided unfettered access to any and all information requested.”

The MLB also demanded Houston pay a $5 million fine, which is the highest amount allowed under league rules. Both first and second round draft picks in 2020 and 2021 were also forfeited in the punishment.

In the leagues’s statement Monday, Manfred revealed details of the investigation, according to MLB.com.

“Approximately two months into the 2017 season, a group of players, including
Carlos Beltrán, discussed that the team could improve on decoding opposing teams’ signs
and communicating the signs to the batter. Cora arranged for a video room technician to
install a monitor displaying the center field camera feed immediately outside of the Astros’
dugout. (The center field camera was primarily used for player development purposes and
was allowed under MLB rules at the time when used for that purpose.) Witnesses have
provided largely consistent accounts of how the monitor was utilized. One or more players
watched the live feed of the center field camera on the monitor, and after decoding the sign,
a player would bang a nearby trash can with a bat to communicate the upcoming pitch type
to the batter. (Witnesses explained that they initially experimented with communicating
sign information by clapping, whistling, or yelling, but that they eventually determined that
banging a trash can was the preferred method of communication.) Players occasionally
also used a massage gun to bang the trash can. Generally, one or two bang corresponded
to certain off-speed pitches, while no bang corresponded to a fastball.”

Current Red Sox manager and former Astros’ bench coach Alex Cora played an important part in the scheme in Houston and his team is currently being investigated for sign stealing in the 2018 World Series. It’s very likely that Cora will face a stiff penalty as well as other Boston executives.

The Dodgers were a team on the opposing end of the scandal. They lost both the 2017 and 2018 World Series to the Red Sox. On Sunday Dodgers all-star, Cody Bellinger, told ESPN, “We could’ve won it if things could’ve gone our way.But it is what it is, man. You really can’t look back on it anymore. We’ll see what happens, what Manfred wants to do. We’ll see. It sucks, man. We were close, but we did it the right way.”

In a report in The Athletic on Tuesday, anonymous sources claimed the Red Sox stole signs from the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2018 World Series. Upon hearing the allegations Major League Baseball said it will conduct an investigation on the matter.

“The Commissioner made clear in a September 15, 2017, memorandum to clubs how seriously he would take any future violation of the regulations regarding use of electronic equipment or the inappropriate use of the video replay room,” MLB said in a statement to The Athletic. “Given these allegations, MLB will commence an investigation into this matter.”

The Athletic’s report received comments from three sources that claimed to be a part of the organization during that time. They said that players would come into the video replay room during games to check on different sign patterns between opposing pitchers and catchers. They also said the Red Sox were unable to do this in the postseason prior to the World Series because MLB had in-person monitors inside replay rooms.

“We were recently made aware of allegations suggesting the inappropriate use of our video replay room,” the Red Sox said in a statement to The Athletic. “We take these allegations seriously and will fully cooperate with MLB as they investigate the matter.”

Another source told the website, “It’s cheating. Because if you’re using a camera to zoom in on the crotch of the catcher, to break down the sign system, and then take that information and give it out to the runner, then he doesn’t have to steal it.”

The report followed an accusation from December that claimed the Houston Astros stole signs in the 2017 World Series by placing a camera in centerfield.

UNH Sports Law Professor Michael McCann told CBS Boston, “Stealing signs was traditionally seen as a skill set. The question is going to be whether or not baseball is going to do enough to stop it.”

The New York Yankees’ ownership is allowing General Manager Brian Cashman to offer former Houston Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole a massive, multi-year deal.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the news and added that MLB executives told him the value of Cole’s contract could “reach well beyond $250 million-plus.”

GET DEALS ON YANKEES TICKETS HERE!

Cole has been a thorn in the Yankees’ side since clashing with New York in the playoffs the last two years. Yankees fans will have Game 3 of the ALCS burned into their memory as Cole took control of the evening with dominant pitching. The top pitcher in this year’s free agency period stole the show striking out seven, allowing only four hits and no runs scored through seven innings of work.

The Yankees main weakness for the last few years has been consistency in the pitching rotation. Now, more than ever, they need to sign a star-caliber starting pitcher like Cole. Aside from James Paxton and Masihiro Tanaka the other starting pitchers have failed to carry their weight. Luis Severino played just five games total including the postseason in 2019 after injuring his shoulder, then suffering from a latissimus dorsi injury.

Crazy enough, the Yankees actually drafted Cole in 2008, but he chose to pitch in college at UCLA. When he graduated and entered the draft in 2011, he was the first pick overall selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The question that remains is whether or not he wants to be a Yankee and play in New York. Players know about the stigma that “not everyone can handle the New York media.” But right now there is no record that he has anything against the organization.

The native from Southern California is also garnering interest from the Angels, Dodgers, and Padres. The Yankees, however, have the opportunity to improve their team before the rookie contracts of Aaron Judge, Gleybur Torres, and Gary Sanchez expire.