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The New York Yankees are apparently sign stealers too, and Houston Astros players have reacted in kind.
After clear evidence of the Houston Astros sign-stealing in recent years, the consequences were swift. Players’ reputations were (rightfully) sullied, and managers lost jobs. In one case, Carlos Beltran never got close to managing a game for the New York Mets.
The Astros are surely not the only team that steals signs. It’s just that they were so brazen about it, as they used technology (cameras, allegedly buzzers) and trash can banging in the dugout to get it done. It’s not against the rules unless you get caught, some might say, and the Astros got caught. The lame apology from the team at a start of spring training press conference, from owner Jim Crane all the way down to players who spoke, only fueled the fire against them.
On Saturday, Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported court documents in a 2017 lawsuit say the New York Yankees had a “serious sign-stealing scheme.” Not only that, but MLB may have helped cover it up.
The Yankees’ sign-stealing scheme didn’t (or doesn’t?) seem to reach the same level as the Astros or Boston Red Sox. But if the majority of baseball fans needed another reason to hate the Yankees, it’s been served a silver platter now.
Astros players have had the reaction you would expect.
Alex Bregman quickly deleted his tweet, but others kept theirs live.
Shortstop Carlos Correa spoke for the masses the best, in response to how Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge reacted to Mike Fiers blowing the whistle on the Astros.
Time will tell if the Yankees get any notable punishment as an organization for proven sign-stealing, and with the Astros as a precedent, players should avoid suspension. But that didn’t stop some players from reacting to the Yankees’ scandal, and a possible MLB cover-up to protect how perfectly squeaky clean they supposedly are would be quite a revelation.