{"id":28110,"date":"2020-01-14T16:44:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-14T21:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=28110"},"modified":"2020-01-14T16:44:49","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T21:44:49","slug":"mlb-impacted-sign-stealing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2020\/01\/14\/mlb-impacted-sign-stealing\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB Impacted by Sign Stealing"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MLB History\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The year is 2017.\u00a0 The MLB saw The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/mlb-teams\/new-york-yankees\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Yankees<\/a> lose a hard-fought 7 game American League Championship Series to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/2020\/01\/13\/mlb-hands-down-penalties-for-houston-astros\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Houston Astros<\/a>. The Yankees fell just one game shy of reaching their first World Series of the decade. The Astros then moved on to best the National League Champion <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/mlb-teams\/los-angeles-dodgers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> in a World Series game 7. Thus, capturing their first Championship in franchise history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast forward one year to 2018. The Yankees and Dodgers were both back in the playoffs. This time, the Yanks faced the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/mlb-teams\/boston-red-sox\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Boston Red Sox<\/a> in the American League Divisional Series. The Yankees lost the series 3-1, and the Red Sox advanced to play the Astros in the ALCS. The Dodgers would once again make it to the October classic. This time they squared off against the Red Sox. The Sox won the series in 5 games. The Dodger&#8217;s Championship dreams had been shattered for a second straight year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;\">MLB Present<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On January 13th 2020, Major League Baseball handed down the Astros&#8217; punishment for using technology to steal signs during the 2017 season, including the playoffs. In a Twitter post the MLB announced that Houston Astros&#8217; General Manager Jeff Luhnow and team Manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/managers\/hincha.01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>AJ Hinch<\/strong><\/a> will be suspended for the 2020 season without pay.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Statement regarding the Astros. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xvuj6zOK9x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/xvuj6zOK9x<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; MLB (@MLB) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB\/status\/1216798028666941440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 13, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Immediately following the punishment handed down by the MLB, the Houston Astros held a press conference where Jim Crane made the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/2020\/01\/13\/houston-astros-fire-jeff-luhnow-and-aj-hinch\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announcement<\/a> that General Manager Jeff Luhnow and team Manager A..J. Hinch have been fired, per a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/astros-houston-cheating-scandal-team-fires-gm-jeff-luhnow-manager-aj-hinch-mlb-today-2020-01-13\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CBS News story<\/a>. Additional penalties include a $5MM fine and loss of draft picks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Fallout\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cheating can affect the outcome of a game, a series, and even a season. Twenty-eight other teams had to battle against an unfair advantage. Twice teams that cheated, would eventually win the World Series. It has not been proven that the Red Sox cheated in the 2018 postseason. But they did cheat in the regular season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>While it has been proven the Astros cheated during home games in 2017 they did have a 2-2 record in Los Angeles during the World Series.\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here is no guarantee that if the Astros and Red Sox didn\u2019t cheat, that the Yankees or Dodgers would\u2019ve won the World Series. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fact is we will be stuck with many questions long after punishments are completed. What if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/judgeaa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Aaron Judge<\/strong><\/a> had won the 2017 MVP instead of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/a\/altuvjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Jose Altuve<\/strong><\/a>?\u00a0 What if the Astros didn&#8217;t have home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs in 2017 or if the Red Sox didn&#8217;t cheat during home games in 2018? We will never know for sure what would have happened. Los Angeles and New York <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will never get those two seasons back.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>The League<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cheating scandals have ripple effects. They are felt by the league, the players and the fans, often for generations. The MLB could feel these effects where it hurts the most in their bank account. It took Major League Baseball years to try and recover from the steroid scandal and in some ways, it hasn\u2019t. Players feel the effects as well. Judge recently avoided arbitration with a 1yr\/$8MM dollar deal with the Yankees as per a <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/01\/10\/yankees-aaron-judge-avoid-arbitration-agree-to-1-year-8-5m-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Post article<\/a> by Jake Nisse. If he had an MVP or a World Series Championship under his belt, maybe he gets $15MM. Again, we will never know.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>The Fans<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall interest in the sport is down, especially with children. The league has tried everything to get butts in the seats and television ratings up. Everything from pace of game rule changes, to new stadiums, and even expanding into Europe. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These events can cause fans to lose faith. Whether it\u2019s a child who never picks up a bat again because their favorite team cheated, or fans believing the fix is in. The MLB and these two organizations will have to earn back their fan&#8217;s trust. <\/span>Baseball is a special game. It deserves respect. The game&#8217;s integrity has been sullied by the very people lucky enough to play it. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only time will tell the full extent of the damage done to America\u2019s pastime. As with the Black Sox of 1919 and the widespread <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/2018\/01\/05\/in-defense-of-the-steroid-era\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">steroid use<\/a>, the sign-stealing scandal will forever taint the Astros&#8217; and Red Sox&#8217;s Championships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>MLB Future<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MLB&#8217;s investigation into the Red Sox organization is ongoing. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/2020\/01\/13\/boston-red-sox-should-fire-alex-cora\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Alex Cora<\/strong><\/a><strong>,<\/strong> stands accused of being integral in the scandal. It is uncertain what new details will come out after the conclusion of this investigation, or what the punishment will be. It is fair to reason that Cora&#8217;s punishment could be more severe than that of A.J. Hinch. This could be due to his alleged involvement in both the Astros and Red Sox cheating schemes. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As far as the league is concerned, there is one thing we know for sure. Baseball will still be here. There will be a 2020 season. We will see change and even growth. So continue to support your team. Cheer on your favorite player. While there is work to be done to repair the damage following this scandal, Spring Training begins in less than a month. With Spring, comes rebirth. All of the young superstars, web gems and bat flips will be back. T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he future can still be bright for Major League Baseball.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MLB History\u00a0\u00a0 The year is 2017.\u00a0 The MLB saw The New York Yankees lose a hard-fought 7 game American League Championship Series to the Houston Astros. The Yankees fell just one game shy of reaching their first World Series of the decade. The Astros then moved on to best the National League Champion Los Angeles [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3321,"featured_media":26650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1071,4,2,14,33,5],"tags":[1734,240,246,92,2186,41],"class_list":["post-28110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","category-redsox","category-featured","category-astros","category-dodgers","category-yankees","tag-alex-cora","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-houston-astros","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-mlb-history","tag-new-york-yankees"],"modified_by":"Jared Cantatore","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3321"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}