Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Both Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora and New York Mets manager Carlos Beltrán have lost their jobs in the wake of the scandal, following the Astros’firing of general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinchon Monday.
The shake-ups have come following aMajor League Baseball investigationthat found the Astros used cameras to steal pitching signs during its 2017 championship season.
Stealing signs has long been a part of the sport, as certain signals between a catcher and a pitcher indicate what type of pitch the pitcher intends to throw. If the opposing team watches and can interpret what those signs mean, they’ll have an advantage when their batter is at the plate.
RELATED VIDEO: Champions! Washington Nationals Win the 2019 World Series for the First Time in Franchise History
The report said that the scandal was largely player-driven and that Luhnow and Hinch did not directly participate, with Hinch even taking steps to damage the television the players were using to watch signs.
Jeff Luhnow, A.J. Hinch.Bob Levey/Getty; Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty
“Neither one of them started this, but neither one of them did anything about it,” Crane said, according toESPN. “We need to move forward with a clean slate.”
Though Cora and Beltrán are no longer with the team, both were members of the 2017 team; Cora as a bench coach and Beltrán as a player.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he was waiting to dole out Cora’s punishment until the Red Sox investigation was complete, but promised a “harsh penalty,” according toESPN.
Though that disciplinary action is still forthcoming, Cora and the Red Soxannounced on Tuesdaythey had mutually agreed to part ways. The retired infielder was named prominently in the MLB report, and was said to be the one who arranged for the monitor to be installed next to the Astros dugout.
Beltrán, meanwhile, was the lone player named in the report, which read: “Approximately two months into the 2017 season, a group of players, including Carlos Beltrán, discussed that the team could improve on decoding opposing teams’ signs and communicating the signs to the batter.”
“At a meeting this morning with [COO Jeff Wilpon and Executive Vice President and General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen], we mutually agreed to part ways,” he said in a statement. “I’m grateful to them for giving me the opportunity, but we agreed this decision is in the best interest of the team. I couldn’t let myself be a distraction for the team. I wish the entire organization success in the future.”
Meanwhile, it seemed the domino effect of consequences opened the floodgates for more accusations, several of which emerged on Thursday against popular Astros stars José Altuve and Alex Bregman.
Justin Heiman/Getty Images
Rumors began to swirl Thursday afternoon that the athletes wore buzzers under their uniforms to let them know which type of pitch to expect during the 2019 postseason — something the MLB found no evidence of after an investigation — after claims from an anonymous Twitter account picked up steam.
The person running the account claimed to be Beltrán’s niece, though his family denied any association toESPN reporter Marly Rivera.
In the clip, Altuve appears to signal to his teammates not to rip off his jersey, prompting social media users to wonder whether he had anything to hide.
Altuve denied the accusations in a statement toESPNvia his agent Scott Boras.
“I have never worn an electronic device in my performance as a major league player,” he wrote. A rep for Bregman did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
MLB released astatementas well, saying that during its investigation, it had “explored wearable devices,” but “found no evidence to substantiate it.”
The scandal and subsequent drama has prompted reactions from various baseball stars, including Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger, whotweeted, “For the sake of the game I hope this isn’t true.. if true, there needs to be major consequences to the players. That Completely ruins the integrity of the game!!!”
source: people.com
