Now the Major League Baseball Season is over, let’s reflect on the story for the season. World Series of 2021 featured the Braves of Atlanta vs the Astros of Houston. The team from Houston have faced four seasons of being the most hated organization in baseball, maybe in American sports. Why?
In 2017 the Houston professional baseball team won the World Series of Baseball. However, during the playoff run some of the players would see the signs communicated from the catcher to the pitcher. The signs are used in order for the catcher and the pitcher to know what pitch to throw or what pitch is coming. For the opposing team to see and use these signs in a game is commonly call “stealing signs.” Given it has a name signifies it happens all the time.
What made it so different this time? The Houston team received these signs electronically via video or text and communicated to the batter in the box by banging a trashcan. Similar to the New England Patriots, of the National Football League, filmed defensive coordinators of opposing teams and communicated schemes to Quarterback Tom Brady during the game.
Other baseball teams have been accused of this and other illegal strategic advantages. The Astros were warned by the MLB to discontinue the practice but they continued.
The fallout consisted of the firing of many of the front office staff as well as the manager. Many of the players that were on that team has moved on to other teams. Yet the few remaining players has been subjected to severe heckling and taunting by fans when they played road games.
The Astros have fielded a team good enough to contend each year. They made it to the World Series. Their noses are as clean as any other franchise. Can We FINALLY STOP THE HATE? Who am I kidding.