Houston Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were suspended Monday for the upcoming season for stealing opponents’ pitching signs during its World Series-winning 2017 season.
The team was also fined a $5 million, the maximum allowed, and will forfeit its first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts, according to the MLB.
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Four people associated with the Astros during the 2017 season — when the Astros won their only World Series title — said the team used a camera in the outfield to steal pitching signs during home games, the sports site The Athletic reported in November.
The Athletic quoted Mike Fiers, a pitcher who threw a no-hitter for the Astros in 2015, and three other unidentified people affiliated with the Astros as saying that during the 2017 season, players and other employees would monitor opposing catchers’ signals using a camera in center field of the team’s stadium, Minute Maid Park. The signals were then reportedly relayed to the hitters by someone banging on a trashcan.
The MLB said it interviewed nearly 70 witnesses and combed through tens of thousands of emails, text messages, photos and video clips during its investigation, which was summarized in a nine-page ruling.
“I find that the conduct of the Astros, and its senior baseball operations executives, merits significant discipline,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said as part of the ruling.
Manfred noted that the “investigation revealed absolutely no evidence” that Astros owner Jim Crane was aware of any misconduct.
Former Astros Assistant General Manger Brandon Taubman, who was fired after making offensive comments about a pitcher suspended for domestic violence to a group of female reporters during last season’s playoffs, was also suspended for a year. While currently not employed in the major leagues, Taubman will not be able to work for any club during that time.
