New York Mets’ starter weighs in on the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal

New York Yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman
Aug 1, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Mets' Marcus Stroman leaves the field after the 4-0 win against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Stroman, the New York Mets’ third starter, is one of the most competitive pitchers in MLB. That same spirit allowed him to spot what he deemed as an unfair competitive advantage, and publish it in his Twitter account, @Str0.

What would be the unfair competitive advantage? A video uploaded by Ian Hunter (@BlueJayHunter) in which Houston Astros’ hitters could be seen taking at-bats against Stroman. The trash can-banging noise before some pitches was evident.

“S–t makes sense now. I remember wondering how these guys were laying off some of my nasty pitches. Relaying all my signs in live speed to the batter. Ruining the integrity of the game. These dudes were all about the camera and social media. Now, they’re all quiet! Lol,” were the words that Stroman wrote today in his official account.

The scheme

The Astros used the replay room to decode opposing pitchers’ signs. Then, they relayed them to their hitters by banging a trash can. They used this scheme in 2017, when they won the World Series.

MLB investigated the issue and issued fines and suspensions. AJ Hinch, the manager, and Jeff Lunhow, the GM, lost their jobs after the league suspended them for a year. The Astros lost four draft picks and $5 million.

No retaliation by the Mets’ stellar pitcher

But the Mets’ talented pitcher isn’t one to hold a grudge. He says he won’t retaliate when on the mound. “Many individuals on here saying to intentionally throw at the Houston hitters. Personally, I would never do that. Too calm in my mind to want to retaliate and would never try to injure another human being over past actions. Revenge will never solve anything…karma will!” he stated.

You have to consider that it wouldn’t benefit the New York Mets to put more people on base. To finalize, Stroman said that he won’t talk about the Astros again.

Mike Clevinger, Trevor Bauer, Chris Archer, CC Sabathia, and a myriad of other hurlers, active or retired, have heavily criticized the Astros in the last few hours. Some of them, like Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve, have shown no remorse.