In the past, baseball scandals and cheaters were individuals. In recent memory, it involved Performance Enhancing Drugs. At least 65 players have been suspended since 2005. But a major cheating scandal has hit professional baseball and it’s very close to home.
The current scandal involves team cheating by both the 2017 Houston Astros and the 2018 Boston Red Sox.
Is there a common thread? You bet there is!
The bench coach for the Astro’s was Alex Cora. After the Astro’s victory, Alex Cora was hired as the Red Sox Manager. In his first year as Red Sox manager, Cora brought a World Series championship to Beantown.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred released a report last Monday that resulted in the Houston Astros being fined $5 million for the cheating and the loss of a first and second-round draft choice. This resulted in the immediate termination of Houston Astro’s Manager A.J. Hinch and their General Manager Jeff Luhnow. Each man was suspended from baseball for one year.
Alex Cora is mentioned 11 times in the report for his involvement in the design, implementation, and use of the technology used to cheat.
Two days after the report was released Alex Cora and the Red Sox “parted ways.” The same is true for Carlos Beltran and the New York Mets.
Some obvious questions remain:
What punishment will Alex Cora receive?
Will the Red Sox get the same $5 million fine?
Will the players who used the technology to steal signs receive punishment?
Is it true that Astros players Altuve and Bregman wore wire devices in 2019?
Should the World Series victories of each team be withdrawn?
This scandal is far from over.
Hopefully, some of these questions will get answered.