Call to the pen
Fansided

Houston Astros: Ranking them among other cheaters in MLB history

By Lucas Friedman

HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 05: Manager AJ Hinch #14 talks with Jeff Luhnow, General Manager of the Houston Astros, prior to game two of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park on October 05, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 05: Manager AJ Hinch #14 talks with Jeff Luhnow, General Manager of the Houston Astros, prior to game two of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park on October 05, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Houston Astros
Houston Astros GM Jeff Luhnow (Photo by Cheriss May) (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /

The aftermath of the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal is sweeping the baseball world. Now that the Astros were found guilty of cheating, where does this scandal rank among others in MLB history?

After a two-month investigation, the Houston Astros were found guilty of illegally using ballpark cameras to steal signs during their 2017 championship season. This led commissioner Robert Manfred to slap the Astros with a $5 million dollar fine and the forfeiture of their 2020 and 2021 first and second-round draft picks.

In addition, GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were hit with one-year-long suspensions from the MLB, which prompted Astros owner Jim Crane to fire them almost immediately after they received their punishments.

While no players will be disciplined for their involvement, this scandal will cause a ripple effect throughout the rest of the league.  Ex-Red Sox manager Alex Cora is expected to be harshly punished for his involvement during his tenure as the Astros’ bench coach, which was reportedly very significant. The Red Sox are currently under investigation for an alleged sign-stealing scandal of their own during their 2018 championship season and have already fired Cora. It is also possible that Carlos Beltrán could face discipline, especially after he was dismissed of his duty as the Mets’ skipper before managing a single game in Queens.

As the baseball world waits for the rest of the details to unfold, it is undeniable that this is already one of the most significant cheating scandals in MLB history. The MLB has dealt with a fair share of scandals in their history, so where does this one rank? Let’s take a look at some of the others.

Keep in mind, this list only includes scandals that had a direct impact on performance on the field. Thus, scandals such as the Pittsburgh drug trails and the 1994-95 strike will be excluded.

Honorable mention: Chris Correa hacking scandal

Up-and-coming Cardinals analyst Chris Correa got sentenced to 46 months in prison for illegally hacking into a protected Houston Astros computer to gain a competitive scouting edge in 2017. However, he only earns an honorable mention because he was working as a rogue employee who was not even fully aware that what he was doing was illegal. Mark this one down as a very costly brain fart.

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