The Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series in an epic battle against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are one of the most beloved winners in recent years, partially because they beat L.A. in the biggest of games. That was until Mike Fiers stood up for America’s Pastime. He opened up to The Athletic on how his employers at the time used a camera in center field to steal signs during their championship run. Everything’s bigger in Texas, including shame.
The Bigger Picture
Fiers’ statement is nothing but the tip of the iceberg. This could turn into a much bigger issue as the Astros are not the first team to be accused of using technology to gain an unfair advantage. The Boston Red Sox were caught using Apple Watches to steal signs from the Yankees in 2017. This isn’t a new thing as the Toronto Blue Jays were also in trouble for the same reason back in 2011. Furthermore, Houston might have cheated in this past World Series as well, right in front of our very eyes.
The Rays also suggested this issue back in October, but nobody actually believed it. Manager AJ Hinch went as far as calling the accusations “a joke”. He stated his team was as clean as a whistle. Well, guess what AJ? The whistle wasn’t all that clean after all.
Mike Fiers Should Be A National Hero
One could sit all day roasting the Astros for what they did and pointing fingers at who should be fired. Instead of that, we should give credit where credit’s due. Baseball has problems. A broken free agency system and an incompetent commissioner are just a few of them. Society has problems too. The entire world has something to deal with. Sure, Fiers can’t fix the free agent crisis, fire the commissioner, or fill in Tropicana Field and Marlins Park. And yet, he stood up for the game and did his part to fix what can be fixed.
The Athletics’ pitcher just made the job a lot easier for Rob Manfred and his office. All they have to do is keep on digging. They’ll find more dirt, that’s guaranteed.
What’s Next?
From this point on the Astros have become one of the most infamous franchises in baseball history. They’re right there alongside the 1919 White Sox and Shoeless Joe Jackson. It’s a shame they couldn’t dress up like Richard Nixon for Halloween, as this is baseball’s version of the Watergate scandal. The Astros should be ashamed of what they did. Hinch should step down as manager and so should Joe Espada as a bench coach. Go sell your championship rings at a pawn shop guys. You don’t deserve them.
As for Fiers, get the man a medal of honor and consider him for an honorable induction to the Hall Of Fame. Don’t worry about his World Series ring, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want it either.
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