The Astros are in some hot water after a recent piece of news accuses them of foul play.
Metro reported on Tuesday that the Astros had a man standing in the credentialed media area near the Red Sox dugout at Minute Maid Park during Game 3 of the ALCS. The problem is that he claimed to be an Astros employee, which prompted accusations of sign stealing, among other things.
Not only that, the report alleges that the man was on his phone texting quite often, and that he also had a small camera.
Obviously, the man would be able to hear all sorts of information, about matchups and advanced scouting information. Furthermore, he’d be able to tips pitches during the game as well, so the Astros would know what was coming.
Teams had already alleged that the Astros were stealing signs dating back to last season, so the Red Sox had been using multiple signs as is, which helped minimize the effectiveness of whatever the man was trying to do.
Red Sox going with multiple signs even without a runner at second base; they think the Astros are great at stealing signs.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 16, 2018
This series has had it all, and there have been plenty of allegations of cheating — most of them directed toward the Astros. Catcher Martin Maldonado had his glove checked for a possible adhesive or other foreign substance in Game 1, but this recent allegation takes the cake.
Hopefully, MLB learns its lesson from this, and begins to implement changes to help protect against sign stealing. There’s been talk about having a way for pitchers and catchers to communicate with each other electronically — such as an earpiece.
For now, we’ll see what MLB uncovers during its investigation, but usually, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The Astros are listed as -150 favorites in Game 4 on Wednesday, so get advice for that pivotal matchup on this popular wagering advice website. And for the sign stealing, something fishy was going on, it’s just a matter of the extent of it all. We’ll soon find out.
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