Houston Astros fans react to Chicago White Sox pitcher Kenyan Middleton still holding a grudge about 2017 cheating scandal: "Get over it and move on"
Chicago White Sox pitcher Kenyan Middleton is still burning about the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal.
Middleton, a former Los Angeles Angels reliever-turned-journeyman who has pitched for four different teams over the last four years, made headlines a few weeks ago after striking out Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa.
Correa was part of the 2017 Astros team that won the World Series under suspicious circumstances in Middleton's rookie year with the Angels.
He told reporters after the May 3 game in which he whiffed Correa:
"I knew I was going to face Correa, and I don’t like him. So, it was kind of cool. I like that. I enjoyed that a lot. ... I mean, he’s a cheater."
It’s been five years since the Houston Astros cheating scandal, but Keynan Middleton doesn’t forget. He never will.
“Those people changed some of my friends’ careers cheating, and they had no consequences.”
White Sox Talk Podcast: whitesoxtalk.com 🎙🎧 https://t.co/4376XoW62C
The topic came up during the "White Sox Talk Podcast." Kenyan Middleton still hasn't lost his grudge. He told reporter Chuck Garfien:
"Those people changed some of my friends' careers cheating, and they had no consequences."
To which, Houston Astros fans had their typical reaction – heavy eyerolling.
@ChuckGarfien Ok and?? Some are now retired and most are now on other teams. Get over it and move on.
@ChuckGarfien How is this even news worthy? They’re not playing the Astros, didn’t play them in the playoffs in 2017, in fact no team he’s been a part of has played the Astros in the playoffs. Why does anyone care?
@ChuckGarfien 5 years later if you let this bother you, you in bad shape my man
Of course, many Houston Astros fans pointed out how Kenyan Middleton is able to talk about their team being "cheaters" without a hint of irony.
Middleton was one of the players named by former Los Angeles Angels clubhouse man Brian Harkins in 2021 as one of the players Harkins supplied with "sticky stuff" in order to doctor the ball to deliver more effective pitches.
@ChuckGarfien Hey Chuck, did he bring this up while he was crying? https://t.co/HZzVpbGhRw
@ChuckGarfien A cheater condemning another for cheating. https://t.co/9yFykjBGzz
@ChuckGarfien “Those people changed some of my friends’ careers cheating, and they had no consequences.” https://t.co/ySerb48KUw
However, with the White Sox posting one of the worst records in MLB at 23-25, Kenyan Middleton probably didn't want to talk about the team that employs him. So, what better topic to reflect on than something that occurred six years ago?
@ChuckGarfien maybe worry about winning a game than worrying about what the astros did
@ChuckGarfien Ironic coming from a Black Sox player
@ChuckGarfien I guess when you’re playing under .400 baseball, you’ve got to cry about something to try and remain relevant
While many Houston Astros have admitted to some shady dealings in 2017, it usually comes with the caveat that they were not the only team to be cheating.
@ChuckGarfien Did you ask him about the Yankees, Red Sox and other teams that were doing the exact same thing or are we still acting like the Astros are the only culprits? Also did you ask about MLB providing Goldilocks balls to the Yankees? And their pitchers being caught with sticky stuff?
Kenyan Middleton just not letting go of his grudge against the Houston Astros
Middleton has long made a show out of pitching against Houston, or against former Astros players. All this while he has not been able to carve out all that much of a career for himself. In seven MLB seasons, he is 8-6 with a 3.71 ERA in 174 games. He is sporting a 1.45 ERA in 20 appearances with the White Sox this season after posting an ERA of 5.29 with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022.