The main focus of the Houston Astros cheating surrounds the 2017 World Series. However, reports suggested the New York Yankees were concerned with the Astros cheating in the 2019 ALCS. Additionally, the Los Angeles Dodgers and even former Astros bench coach Alex Cora had tipped the Washington Nationals about Houston’s ways ahead of the 2019 World Series.
Pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training. Coincidentally, the Astros and Nationals have a joint facility in West Palms Beach, Florida. Just as Houston owner Jim Crane was doing damage control speaking on his team being caught and how it didn’t impact their 2017 World Series title, reporters picked the defending World Series champs’ thoughts on the biggest scandal to hit MLB since the steroids era.
When asked if the Astros were still cheating during the 2019 Fall Classic, Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki replied, “Oh yeah, no question.”
“We could hear it from their dugout,” Suzuki continued per Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. “We heard their whistling. What are you going to do?ā
Suzuki said the Nationals changed signs for every batter and sometimes within an at-bat. He said at times he would get mixed up with all the sign changing in an attempt of staying ahead of the Astros.
He suggested some of the Nationals’ big strikeouts during the series came when the crowd was its loudest in which the Astros batters couldn’t hear their dugout tips.
“I kept thinking, āWe have to go to the field and work early on our signs in the World Series just to stop their cheating.ā Itās so stupid and so wrong,ā Suzuki said.
The Astros’ players insist they did not cheat during the 2019 season.
Certainly, the public perception doesn’t agree. Especially, considering the stir surrounding Astros’ star Jose Altuve seemingly protecting his jersey from being ripped (and possibly exposed) following his walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS that sent Houston to the World Series.
