When New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge battled against ghosts of Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal
In February 2020, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge opened up about continuing to face challenges when it comes to moving past the infamous 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal.
The Astros' cheating scandal sent shockwaves through the baseball community, tarnishing the reputation of one of the most successful teams in recent memory. The cheating scheme employed by the team allegedly involved using technology to steal signs from opposing teams during games.
Sign stealing is not uncommon in baseball, but the Astros took it to a new level by using a camera in the center field to relay the catcher's signs to a monitor in the dugout. The signs were then decoded and relayed to the Astros batters by banging on a trash can in the dugout, alerting them to the type of pitch that was coming.
For Aaron Judge, the aftermath of the cheating scandal has been an ongoing mental and emotional challenge. As a competitor, he feels the weight of the tainted competition and the impact it may have had on his performance and accomplishments.
Even though the Yankees were not directly affected by the Astros' cheating during the 2017 postseason, Judge and his teammates, like many others in the league, still question the fairness and legitimacy of the games they played against the Astros during the regular season.
“I could sit up here and lie to you and say that I’ll forget about it and move on, but it’s always going to be in the back of your head a little bit,” Judge told reporters. “You’re always going to think about it. You’re always going to have that bad taste in your mouth thinking about it and hearing about it."
He continued:
“But, at some point, we’re going to move on and move forward and continue to grow this game. That’s what I care about, is growing this game.
"That’s why the more we talk about (the scandal), the more I’m going to keep turning on ESPN and seeing sign-stealing stuff and cheating in baseball. So, the quicker we can get rolling, the better it would be for the game, and that’s all I really care about.”
"I could sit up here and lie to you and say that I'll forget about it and move on, but you're always going to have that bad taste in your mouth"
Aaron Judge says getting over the Astros' sign-stealing won't happen overnight https://t.co/FevcIwis6t
"Aaron Judge says getting over the Astros' sign-stealing won't happen overnight." - Yankees Videos
Interestingly, Aaron Judge was edged past by Astros' Jose Altuve for the ALMVP Award in 2017. The New York Yankees superstar finished second in the voting.
Houston Astros 2017 cheating scandal: Investigation and fallout
Once news of the Houston Astros 2017 cheating scandal broke, the MLB launched an extensive investigation. The findings were damning, leading to severe consequences for the Astros.
The team's general manager, Jeff Luhnow, and manager, A.J. Hinch, were suspended for a year and subsequently fired by the Astros. The Astros were fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under MLB rules. Additionally, the MLB took away the teams' first and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021.
The fallout from the scandal extended beyond the organization. Several players who were part of the 2017 Houston Astros faced public scrutiny and backlash. Some issued apologies, while others maintained their innocence or expressed regret but stopped short of fully accepting responsibility.
While the scandal unfolded several years ago, its impact on the game and the Houston Astros players involved lingers to date.