Getty Image / Bob Levey / Stringer
MLB suspended Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch for one year following an investigation that found the team used technology to cheat in 2017, the same year the Texas baseball franchise won the World Series.
UPDATE: Houston Astros owner Jim Crane fired Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch.
Jim Crane just fired Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2020
On Monday afternoon, reports from several MLB sources came to light that the league had suspended the Astros’ GM and manager. ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweeted out: “Houston Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch have been suspended for one year after an MLB investigation found the team used technology to cheat during its World Series-winning 2017 season, sources familiar with the punishment tell ESPN.”
BREAKING: Houston Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch have been suspended for one year after an MLB investigation found the team used technology to cheat during its World Series-winning 2017 season, sources familiar with the punishment tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2020
MLB wasn’t done with the punishments, they also penalized the franchise. According to Passan, the Astros were also fined $5 million, plus will lose their first and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts.
Additionally, MLB will fine the Astros $5 million and take away their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2020
Additionally, MLB will fine the Astros $5 million and take away their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts, sources tell ESPN. The Astros will not lose their World Series title.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that the Astros stole signs from opponents in the 2017 season. The MLB interviewed 68 witnesses, including 23 current and former Astros players, and found the cheating allegations credible.
https://twitter.com/lindseyadler/status/1216800234526986241
Manfred said that the Astros “continued to both utilize the replay review room and the monitor located next to the dugout to decode signs for the remainder of the regular season and throughout the postseason” despite being warned in a September 15, 2017, memorandum from the commissioner about stealing signs.
Of all the things in MLB's investigation and Rob Manfred's nine-page letter, this might be the most damning.
The Astros, who won the 2017 World Series, used their sign-stealing scheme that postseason. pic.twitter.com/nnSj1P2k7D
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2020
“While it is impossible to determine whether the conduct actually impacted the results on the field, the perception of some that it did cause significant harm to the game,” Manfred said in a statement.
In his release, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred absolutely skewered the Houston Astros' culture. pic.twitter.com/qQ2XxPZjKG
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2020
No players will be suspended for the role in the sign-stealing scandal, Manfred penalizing players was “both difficult and impractical.” Adding that the “club’s general manager and the field manager are responsible for ensuring that the players both understand the rules and adhere to them.”
This is Manfred’s reasoning for not punishing Astros’ players: pic.twitter.com/8Xo230n8qS
— Michael Silverman (@MikeSilvermanBB) January 13, 2020
The season that the Astros allegedly cheated was coincidentally the same season that Houston won the World Series, their only championship in the team’s history. In 2017, the Astros finished 101–61 and won the World Series after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
There is also said to be “harsh” punishment coming for Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora as well.
“Cora was involved in developing both the banging scheme and utilizing the replay review room to decode and transmit signs,” Manfred said. “Cora participated in both schemes, and through his active participation, implicitly condoned the players’ conduct.”
No players were disciplined by Major League Baseball in the Astros' investigation. While Mets manager Carlos Beltran was part of it, he was a player at the time and thus was not suspended.
Discipline for Red Sox manager Alex Cora is coming. It is going to be harsh, per sources.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2020
Reminder: The MLB banned Pete Rose for life for gambling on the sport, a seemingly far less nefarious crime than cheating your way to a World Series title.