Houston Astros sign stealing scandal
The Houston Astros sign stealing scandal refers to a controversy that erupted in 2019 when it was revealed that the Houston Astros, a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, used technology to illegally steal signs from opposing teams during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. The operation involved video cameras placed in center field, which captured the signs given by catchers to pitchers. This information was transmitted to Astros players in the dugout, who would then signal batters about the type of pitch being thrown, often by banging on a garbage can.
The scandal gained widespread attention following a report by The Athletic, and it led to an investigation by Major League Baseball. As a result, the Astros faced severe penalties, including a $5 million fine, the loss of draft picks, and the dismissal of key personnel, including their manager and general manager. While sign stealing has a long history in baseball, the use of technology for this purpose is against MLB rules. Notably, players involved in the scandal received immunity in exchange for their cooperation during the investigation, which has sparked ongoing discussions about accountability and ethics in sports. The scandal raised questions about the integrity of the game and highlighted the evolving nature of sign stealing in the era of advanced technology.
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Houston Astros sign stealing scandal
The Houston Astros sign stealing scandal broke in 2019 when investigative journalists revealed that the Houston Astros, a Major League Baseball (MLB) professional team, used technology to steal opponents’ baseball signs and passed along this information to players. Finger signs are made from the catcher to the pitcher telling him what kind of pitch to throw.
The sign stealing operation occurred during the 2017 and 2018 seasons and involved the use of video cameras to discover other teams’ signs. Other baseball professionals had suspected the Astros of sign stealing for years, but a detailed exposé revealing the team’s sign stealing methods did not emerge until late 2019.
The scandal was first reported in the sports magazine The Athletic, which said that the Astros used video cameras that had been placed in center field for replay/review purposes to record signs that an opposing team’s catcher had made to the pitcher. The video was connected to a live feed within the Astros’ dugout, which allowed players and coaches to signal their batters about what kind of pitch would be thrown. After an investigation was launched by the MLB in 2020, the Astros were formally accused of and found guilty of sign stealing during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. The franchise was fined $5 million and the team’s general and field managers were fired. Some associates involved in the scandal were also reprimanded. The punishment is considered the most severe in MLB history.
Background
Sign stealing is not technically against the rules of professional baseball. There is no rule specifically against sign stealing written in baseball law. Throughout baseball history, sign stealing has occurred without the use of technology. Some coaches and staff developed ways to decode team’s signs, and players themselves have tried to decipher signs while on base. For example, runners on second base have tried to figure out a catcher’s signs and then have relayed their knowledge to a player at bat. The act became so commonplace that it had been deemed part of the game, and some players and staff were praised for their ability to decipher signs.
Although no rule exists stipulating the illegality of sign stealing, there is a rule prohibiting the use of technology to steal signs. Technology can range from tools such as binoculars to electronic devices such as cameras. A memorandum was issued in 2001 barring the use of electronic devices in the dugout to communicate during games, particularly to steal signs. Despite this directive, it was widely believed that teams continued to engage in sign stealing using technology.
Throughout history, various baseball professionals have accused a number of teams of using technology to steal signs. One of the most famous instances of electronic sign stealing occurred in 1951, when the New York Giants used a buzzer system to relay other teams’ signs. The Baltimore Orioles were accused of using a video camera to steal signs as far back as the 1980s. The New York Mets supposedly used cameras to steal signs in the late 1990s. Many of these episodes went unpunished, however, as rules against such actions did not exist until the 2000s.
In 2017, members of the Boston Red Sox were caught using smartwatches to steal signs from other teams. The Red Sox were using the feed from their video replay system—which was meant to review plays in case a team wanted to issue a challenge to a call—to steal other teams’ signs. Using a smartwatch, the signs were then relayed to trainers who then relayed them to players. The team was fined an undisclosed sum for its actions and received a warning from the league’s chief baseball officer who threatened to impose penalties against teams who used electronic devices to steal signs.
Overview
In addition to the Red Sox, the Houston Astros also utilized the teams’ video replay system to steal opponents’ signs. Since 2014, MLB teams have had a video replay system set up in their dugouts to review calls on the field. Cameras were installed in certain positions such as center-field. Managers have one chance per game to use the replay system to challenge any calls other than balls and strikes. The camera positioned in center-field was used to steal signs during the game. Team staff watched the feed from a hallway positioned between the clubhouse and dugout and communicated what signs were being used by hitting a garbage can a certain way. The team originally tried using whistling and clapping to relay the information before settling on banging garbage cans. Prior to this system, the Astros had developed a different sign stealing system involving the use of illegal electronics to decipher opponents’ signs before relaying them to the second base runner, who would relay them to the player at bat.
This operation went on during the 2017 regular season and post season, during which the Astros won the World Series, as well as part of the 2018 season. In November 2019, journalists from the sports magazine The Athletic revealed what they knew about the Astros’ sign stealing scandal. Former Astros player Mike Fiers went on record to say his former team used technology to steal signs throughout 2017. The MLB launched an investigation against the Astros in January 2020. Commissioner Rob Manfred released the findings of the investigation on January 13, 2020, that confirmed what the article had alleged.
The Astros were fined $5 million for stealing signs during their World Series championship season and part of the 2018 season. They were stripped of their first- and second-round draft-pick privileges in 2020 and 2021. Manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow originally received one-year suspensions before being fired from their positions. No disciplinary actions were taken against the Astros players involved. The players were promised immunity in exchange for their cooperation in the investigation. Manfred also believed punishing players was impractical since it would be difficult to know where to assign blame. Some individuals who were no longer a part of the team were also punished. Red Sox manager Alex Cora was accused of helping to mastermind the sign stealing scam while serving as bench coach to Hinch in 2017. Former Astros player Carlos Beltran, who by then was serving as manager of the New York Mets, was also named as a participant in the scandal in the report. Both Cora and Beltran later parted ways with their current teams.
Bibliography
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