Houston Astros Cheating Scandal: Sign-Stealing, Firings and Other Questions

[Latest: Alex Cora is out as manager of the Boston Red Sox.]

The Houston Astros, coming off World Series appearances in two of the past three seasons and a championship in 2017, fired both their manager and general manager on Monday after the franchise was fined $5 million and docked several top draft picks for a sign-stealing scheme.

The team’s dismissal of Manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow came a little over an hour after they were suspended for one year by Robert D. Manfred, the Major League Baseball commissioner.

And on Tuesday night, the Boston Red Sox parted ways with Manager Alex Cora, one day after the M.L.B. report implicated him in the scandal from his time as the Astros’ bench coach in 2017.

Here is what we know about the cheating scandal.

What is sign stealing?

For more than a century, baseball players have been trying to decode the unspoken cues exchanged by pitchers and catchers over what pitch to throw next and the location: a practice known as sign stealing. The biggest advantage a pitcher has over a batter is the element of surprise.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/sports/baseball/sign-stealing.html?emc=rss&partner=rss