Most controversial scandals in MLB history: #19. Did Jose Altuve wear a buzzer?
The Houston Astros scandal was already discussed but something even more pressing took place along the way.
The New York Yankees were trapped in a back-and-forth brawl with the Astros in the American League Championship in 2019. With the game knotted at four apiece in the ninth inning in game six, the Yankees sent out their best closer, Aroldis Chapman. It appeared as though both squads were destined to settle their differences in overtime. At least, that’s what many believed.
With All of the confidence in the world, Chapman took his position on the mound, got into his pose and let off a fastball of over 100 miles per hour. Almost no one can catch up with Chapman’s best pitch. Unless they knew it was coming.
Altuve was said to be wearing a buzzer underneath his jersey that signaled to him which pitch was coming next. It seemed far-fetched and not true as an MLB investigation found nothing to support those claims. But, when looking back at the tape, something looks incredibly odd.
In the major leagues, whenever a player hits a walk off, especially in such dramatic fashion with everything on the line, once they round the bases, they’re immediately mobbed by their teammates. Oftentimes, their shirts are ripped off but who cares? Said player just hit the biggest shot of the year. Yet, when you look at the video, Altuve held his shirt and told his teammates don’t rip his shirt off. Never had Altuve, or anyone for that matter, acted in that way. After he hit the shot of all shots, Altuve then sprinted to the back as opposed to waiting around to be interviewed. When questioned, Altuve came up with a comical excuse, claiming his wife doesn’t like it when his shirt gets ripped when he’s playing.
While he technically was innocent, most of the MLB world simply isn’t buying it.