Houston, We Have a Cheating Problem
In the middle of their quest for a repeat World Series championship, the Houston Astros have been accused of cheating. Again.
News spread quickly through Twitter during Game 3 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox that in the series’ first game, a mysterious man was removed from the media-credentialed area near the Boston dugout.
The man, who did not have any media credentials, claimed to be an Astros employee. He also had a small camera on him and was pointing the camera at the Red Sox dugout. Jeff Passan at Yahoo Sports later identified the man as Kyle McLaughlin (no relation to Kyle Maclachlan, star of Twin Peaks and Showgirls).
Security sources tell me the Astros were trying to pull some shady business at Fenway Park in Game 1 of the ALCS, and Major League Baseball has acknowledged the incident:https://t.co/3kZ7aQaqnM
— Danny Picard (@DannyPicard) October 16, 2018
Professional sports teams are always looking for advantages against their opponents and baseball has long lead the way in the fine art of signal stealing. But the playoffs bring even more attention to this kind of nefariousness.
Machlachlan was also seen frequently texting on his phone prior to getting questioned by security. It is unclear if the he had any video of the Boston dugout or what was sent on his phone.
And apparently this wasn’t just a one-time occurence. It appears the Indians may have tipped of the Red Sox or Major League Baseball about McLaughlin’s suspicious activities during their Division Series.
All of the teams involved have declined to comment on the matter. So that makes it seem even more likely that an investigation is ongoing.
This would make the third accusation of cheating against the defensing champs this year alone. And, sure, they’re the champs and people are going to have them in their crosshairs, but THREE? Yikes.
Earlier this season Trevor Bauer Bauer replied to a tweet from @drivelinebases suggesting there must be something to the increased spin rates of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton since they joined the Astros.
If only there was just a really quick way to increase spin rate. Like what if you could trade for a player knowing that you could bump his spin rate a couple hundred rpm overnight…imagine the steals you could get on the trade market! If only that existed…
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) May 1, 2018
All three have seen dramatic improvements in their performances since arriving in Houston. Maybe it’s the BBQ. Or maybe it’s something less delicious and little more shady.
Also, in August the Oakland Athletics filed a complaint against the Astros for sign stealing and then relaying the messages to the field with hand claps. Maybe they were just clapping to encourage their teammates. Or maybe it’s something less celebratory and a little more shady.
As the old saying goes, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.”
It looks like the Astros have been TRYING real hard this year. Allegedly.
