By Suie Choi ‘20, Sports Editor

There is no doubt that most skilled athletes have utilized a technique to gain an advantage over an opponent. It is a natural part of learning to play the game. In baseball, a popular ploy that teams can bring into play is sign stealing. Stealing signs is when a team observes the signs being given to the opposing team from the catcher to the pitcher. These signs are then relayed to the batter to warn him of what pitch is coming next. Sign stealing is not inherently against the rules, but can give a team a huge advantage. In November 2019, the Houston Astros’ were found to be stealing signs involving an elaborate technology video system and signaling using a trash can throughout the 2017 season.

There was a lot of speculation surrounding the Houston Astros following the 2017 season about sign stealing. However, it was recently confirmed by ex-pitcher Mike Fiers that the team had used the center-field camera which taped a live feed and pictures to a television monitor behind the dugout. The team then hit a trash can to signal to the batter which pitch was coming. This scheme directly violates the rules on how technology can be used during games.

The 2017 season was the Houston Astros’ most successful season in MLB history. They finished in 1st place in the American League West division. Additionally, they defeated both the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers to win the 2017 American League Championship Series and the World Series, respectively. This world series marked their first win in franchise history.

Not only has there been speculation of the extent to which these titles were fairly earned with integrity, but there has also been a direct impact on the 2017 Dodgers due to the World Series outcome. Some of the Dodgers’ pitchers who faced the Astros during the World Series were labeled bad because they did not perform well during these games. While these pitchers, including Yu Darvish, are not using these allegations as an excuse for their poor performances, the huge advantage that the Astros had cannot be ignored.

The scandal has also struck a chord with student athletes in the NA community. When asked about the implications for the future of MLB, Evan Devergilio ‘20, a member of the NA varsity baseball team and an avid baseball fan, says: “As for the future of the MLB, I hope they use this as a lesson and put their foot down on not only sign stealing but all cheating. However, seeing as they haven’t done anything about this scandal so far, I’m concerned they will let this slide and allow other organizations to cheat.”

While the league has yet to announce any discipline against the Astros, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that there is an active and thorough investigation that will go beyond the 2017 season, while warning all 30 MLB clubs that future violations of sign stealing including technology will result in punishments including loss of draft picks. The investigators have already conducted 60 witness interviews and reviewed 76,000 emails. Although it is considered unlikely that the league would strip the team of their World Series title, all eyes are currently on the MLB to hold the Astros accountable.