Cheating, when caught, carries the shame of one’s negative actions. In this case, the shame that will be carried by the Houston Astros for years, after outed by Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred in a sign-stealing scheme that may have stolen a World Series win from the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Dodgers. Beyond the obvious, the unintended consequences are resulting from cheating. Below are ten of the losers/victims resulting from the Houston Astros cheating scheme.
Here are 10 New York Yankees and others that could suffer the shockwaves:
Joe Girardi: The Astros won the ALCS in 2017, and the Yankees didn’t. It was also a year in which Joe Girardi’s contract to manage the Yankees would come to an end and not be renewed by the Yankees. Had the Yankees won the ALCS that year, the Yankees would have been hard-pressed not to renew Girardi’s contract, and he might still be the Yankees manager.
The New York Yankees: In 2017, as the “Baby Bombers” came of age and the Yankees won 100 games, they may have won the ALCS had the Astros not devised a way to steal the signs of catcher Gary Sanchez illegally. The sign-stealing scandal may have cost them their record 28th World Championship.  The same basic loss of status can be applied to the Lost Angeles Dodgers as well.
Aaron Judge: The year 2017 presented Aaron Judge a runner up status in the MVP of the Year Award. He was beat out by the Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve. Now that MVP standing will have to have an asterisk next to it. Did he know what pitches were coming? You could guess that Aaron Judge is now furious that he missed out on the award. Shortly after the Manfred report, he deleted an Instagram post congratulating Altuve on winning the award.
Justin Verlander: Justin Verlander has had a Hall of Fame career. The only thing missing from his bucket list was winning a World Series. Now that World Series win will have to have an asterisk next to it, in light of the MLB report suggesting that the Astros may have unfairly won that World Series
Mike Fiers: Mike Fiers is the Astros player that first spoke with the “Athletic” Magazine. In doing so, he did the right thing by outing the Astros in their scheme to electronically steal signs of opponent teams.  In doing so, he has angered many in baseball by turning on his team. He will have to carry that burden forever.
 Non-participating Astros players: Astros players that may not have participated in the sign-stealing scheme and may not have gone along with it, were put in the unfair position of going along with it.
All of baseball: Baseball loses overall as it taints the seasons from 2017-2019 for the cheating scandal, just as the use of performance-enhancing drugs tarnished the 90’s and all the records and accomplishments. The revelations put forth in the Manfred report will have consequences as to the credibility of the game going forward. Had the Astros not stolen signs all season, the record of opposing pitchers might also have been different, not only for the Yankees but all teams they faced.
The fans:Â The fans lost as they don’t now know whether a game they attended or watched on television was played on a level playing field, or they watched a game that was fixed.
 The Houston Astros: The Astros are big losers in this also. Not only will an asterisk be placed by their World Series win, but they have lost the upper management of their team, which may have a detrimental effect for years to come. They will also have to live with the shame of being the team that may have illegally stolen a World Series. You can imagine that the Astros will be heavily booed at Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium and around baseball.
The unintended consequences: The City of New York and the Yankees could have lost billions of dollars in lost revenue, from ticket sales, television, and other marketing from a World Series Win. The City with a Yankee win would have realized big-time income in restaurant tabs, hotel stays, merchandise purchases, and taxes. These same losses might have been realized by the Dodgers as well. Let’s not forget the 2019 ALDS win the Astros had over the Rays. The Astros won all the games in that series in their own Minute Maid Park, was sign-stealing going on we may never know, primarily due to new allegations that some Astros players may have been wearing “buzzing” devices under their jerseys.