Contrite Astros apologise for MLB sign-stealing scandal, hope to regain fans’ trust
>> WEST PALM BEACH: Houston Astros stars Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve apologised on Thursday for their roles in a high-tech Major League Baseball sign-stealing scandal that has tainted their 2017 World Series title.
Both star sluggers and Astros owner Jim Crane addressed a scheme that involved centrefield cameras, an illegal monitor near the team dugout and players hitting a trash can to signal Houston batters what type of pitch they were about to face.
“I’m really sorry about the choices made by my team, my organisation and me,” said Bregman, who hit a game-winning single in the 10th inning of a critical fifth game of the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I hope to regain the trust of baseball fans.”
American League 2017 Most Valuable Player Altuve said: “The whole Astros organisation and the team feels bad about what happened in 2017.
“We especially feel remorse for the impact on the fans and the game of baseball and our team is determined to move forward, play with intensity and bring back a championship to Houston in 2020.”
An MLB investigation into the scandal led to one-year bans for Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow. They were then fired by Crane, who tried to defend the Astros’ crown.
“Our opinion is this didn’t impact the game,” Crane said “We had a good team. We won the World Series. We’ll leave it at that.”
Crane has replaced the team’s top management, hiring veteran Dusty Baker as the new manager. Both had an emotional meeting with players on Wednesday before Astros pitchers and catchers reported to training camp for pre-season workouts.
“I want to say again how sorry our team is for what happened,” Crane said. “I want to repeat this will never happen again on my watch.”
The scheme, revealed by former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, led MLB to impose a US$5 million fine to the Astros and strip the team of their top two MLB Draft picks in 2020 and 2021.
Former Astros bench coach Alex Cora was fired as manager of the Boston Red Sox, whom he guided to the 2018 World Series title over the Dodgers. A separate probe of possible Red Sox sign stealing is ongoing.
Also hit was former Astros slugger Carlos Beltran, identified as a ringleader of the sign-stealing scheme before his retirement. He had signed a deal to manage the New York Mets but was fired before guiding the team in a single game.