The Houston Astors winning the 2017 World Series never felt right, especially for New York Yankees fans who watched as their team failed to reach the big series after eight consecutive years of missing out.
However, on January 13th of 2020, the Yankees understood why the lost, and furthermore, how the Astros cheated to climb their way to the pinnacle of baseball. Major League Baseball confirmed that the sign-stealing scandal was, in fact, real, and they punished Houston accordingly.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s consequential storm began with the suspension of both GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, essentially ending their careers, as both were shortly fired by ownership. This was done in an attempt to save face, but the damage was already done, tainting the beautiful game and putting the Yankees in a position of revenge.
The Astros were also fined $5 million and lost their first and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 MLB Drafts. How does this affect the Yankees, though? In reality, it doesn’t, but it does give the satisfaction of knowing the Astors committed crimes against humanity with their unethical ways.
The New York Yankees suffered in more than one way:
Another awful reality is that Houston’s Jose Altuve won the AL MVP in 2017 over Aaron Judge, who deserves the accolade after hearing the players were conscious of the team’s actions. Judge reportedly deleted an Instagram post congratulating Altuve for winning the award.
How else could this help the Yankees? Well, it will give them an even more significant advantage over the other top teams in baseball, as the Astros were once again expected to be a force in 2020. The suspensions and consequences of their actions will hurt them in the long run and force them to turn over their managerial positions. Next on the docket, though, is the Boston Red Sox, who have Alex Cora to thank for some of the allegations.
Cora is in line for a harsh punishment, potentially being banned from the game for the rest of eternity.