British Guys Watch Foolish Baseball & Jomboy - Houston Astros CHEATING Scandal!

[@DNReacts]

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[@w8stral]

Managers got axed from Houston. Team got fined, and they lost their #1 and #2 picks the next year. It must be said that sign stealing is a baseball tradition since the beginning of the game so... This is just par for the course in every baseball game, but Houston was more prevalent than other teams.

[@bke8073]

The black Sox scandal is still probably the biggest controversy ever. Back in 1919 a team threw the World Series to make money from sports gambling.

[@DNReacts]

Sounds very interesting!

[@hifijohn]

@@DNReacts They hated their manager so much that they threw the WS its the chicago white sox, appropriate for one of the more corrupt American cities. trivia sox was a newspaper invented word it short for stockings.

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

@@DNReacts and one of the greatest hitters of all time was one of 8 players who got banned for life. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson was so good, Babe Ruth emulated his batting style!

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

@@gregorywilliams1308 that waas a HORRIBLE movie... but worth watching if you're interested in the story... but do some research too... they got MANY things wrong in 8 Men Out. And the on screen baseball in that movie were among the worst baseball scenes in a movie ever!

[@gregorywilliams1308]

@@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace it's a movie, the comment is not that deep. It was a suggestion to people, trying to learn the game.

[@Jokes1224]

Actual punishment issued: 5 million dollar fine (max allowed fine) Loss of 1st and 2nd round draft picks for two years 1 year suspension for field manager A.J. Hinch (now manager for the Detroit Tigers) 1 year suspension for General Manager Jeff Luhnow (now working in Mexican Soccer) 1 year suspension for assistant GM Brandon Taubman Both Hinch and Luhnow were fired by the owner of the Astros, Jim Crane who said, "Neither of them started this but neither of them did anything about it." In addition: Houston bench coach at the time Alex Cora was informally determined to be one of the masterminds behind the plot (main coach involved as mentioned in the video) and was the manager of the Red Sox when the report was released. He agreed to part ways with the team shortly after to not "be a distraction" He ended up being suspended for the remainder of the 2020 season then was rehired by the Red Sox. Finally, Carlos Beltran (unofficially named the uniformed player with the big hand starting the plot) had recently been hired to be the New York Mets manager when the news broke about his involvement. He was let got after being manager for about 2 months before actually coaching a game. He hasn't gotten another manager opportunity and currently works in broadcasting. There may be more that I missed, but that's all I've got. Great video guys!

[@DNReacts]

Thank you, really appreciate the support, great you enjoyed the video 🙏

[@sneersh9107]

They definitely didn't do enough to punish the actual players, I would've vacated the 2017 title for sure

[@mike-0451]

@@sneersh9107 You would have had a league-wide scandal so large it would have killed the sport. Almost every single team was implicated in using a technological scheme to steal signs. MLB needed a scapegoat and they got it.

[@yonti3301]

Their manager was suspended 1 year, they lost some draft picks and had to pay just 5 million dollars. No players were punished. Probably one of the greatest sports injustices in recent memory

[@DNReacts]

They got away with it then basically, that’s crazy!

[@MaddDogg316]

​@@DNReacts, this is largely untrue. The Astros organization was punished severely for this. Manager suspended and fired, GM suspended and fired, loss of 2 first round and 2 second round draft picks, loss of money that was supposed to go to free agency. The organization was punished because the MLB deemed that the issue was an organizational issue. Which is true because several players and coaches have come on record to state that they did not want to partake in it. What a lot of the hate mob is not saying is that this was a league wide issue that was kicked off by the league installing cameras in centerfield for replay and television purpose. There were at least 20 teams that had in some form or fashion used these cameras for sign stealing. In fact, the Yankees were investigated in 2015 and told to stop using the cameras for sign stealing by the MLB but no punishment was levied. The commissioner then used the Astros as a scapegoat for the whole debacle that they started. If you want a more level headed discussion about this, come find me in the comments. The hate mob largely doesn't understand that their team was also participating in this.

[@krcjayhawks]

It was such a light punishment lol. I've been wishing the Yankees would start cheating at that level - those repercussions would be so worth a World Series

[@blakeherndon7775]

​@DN Reacts there is a podcast series called "The Edge" that does a deep dive into the whole deal.

[@blakeherndon7775]

​@MaddDogg316 also the former Bench Coach, now the Red Sox manager, was suspended for a year and fired. Then rehired after his suspension was over.

[@qwedsan3942]

The Atlanta pitcher you were thinking of was Spencer Strider. His stache as well as Miles Mikolas of the Cardinals are both fantastic

[@DNReacts]

Yes, thank you, this is who I was thinking of. Appreciate the comment and confirming, thank you 🙏

[@sethpulsford511]

​@DN Reacts Matt Carpenter, a player on the padres, might have the best mustache in baseball

[@qwedsan3942]

@@sethpulsford511 I could see it. I'm giving that title to up and coming Astros starter JP France however

[@sacrilegiousboi]

Oh and Pete Rose being banned from baseball for betting on games was a pretty massive scandal

[@Fly-The-W]

Still think he should be in the HoF. He wasn't doing anything that helped his stats and they speak for itself. Plus if you believe him he bet on his own team to win every game and never against them.

[@rtaylor802]

@@Fly-The-W at the same time he didnt always bet on his team. Sometimes he didnt. Im torn. There was no other player like Rose. My first Cubs game I saw him close up. But the "no betting in baseball sign" is in every clubhouse (supposedly). Harold Baines is in the HOF and Rose isnt? Put Rose in as a player but shun hiim as a manager.

[@Fly-The-W]

@@rtaylor802 oh I totally agree it was extremely dumb to do. I'm with you though being torn. It's just he's literally Charlie Hustle. I do think he did everything in his power to win, but yeah it's a tough situation.

[@inarar5334]

The biggest argument against was that even if he was betting on his team to win, he was also the manager. He could have ruined a pitchers career bringing him in/leaving him in because he's got the money on the line. Whether it happened or not, they didn't want this to be encouraged in any way. Bart Giamatti dying so soon after muddied the water, who knows what he'd have done later after issuing the ban.

[@nosliwec]

I would say allow him to get into the HoF. His stats speak for themselves and he deserves to be in. I just don't understand "lifetime bans". (Just like Shoeless Joe Jackson.) They call it a lifetime ban, but (in Jackson's case) everyone is dead from the commissioner who banned Jackson to Jackson himself and even the fans of that era. So shouldn't the ban be up? If it's the lifetime of baseball, then why call it a lifetime ban and not something else like forever banned on banned until the end of time, etc. As for Rose, I have long been a proponent of reinstating him to be in the Hall. Previously, when he was younger, I would have opted for a partial ban. One that would prohibit him from having anything to do with operations of a MLB franchise, even as a consultant. He would only be able to be available for any publicity stuff like fan appreciation signings, ceremonial first pitches, etc. Now that he is much older, I doubt being involved in a franchise is much on his mind anyway.

[@coo55555]

Electronic sign stealing was a big issue at the time, it's honestly very unlikely that the Astros were the only team doing it. I'm sure they were the most brazen and definitely went further than any other in terms of how they were cheating (not making excuses for them), but we know other teams did similar things at a lower scale. Alex Cora was as assistant manager for the 2017 Astros and is listed as one the people most involved in creating the scheme. After 2017, he left to coach the Red Sox, and won the World Series as manager the next year, in 2018. The article didn't come out until 2019, so there is a really good chance two straight champions had regimented sign stealing systems. The Rockies were accused of having nearly the exact same system in 2017/18 and the Dodgers were also accused of electronic sign stealing. There was also rumors about the Yankees. It seems like a lot of teams were playing around with similar ideas at the least. I think one of the reasons the Astros were not punished more harshly is that MLB did not want a deep dive into the electronic sign stealing that was happening league-wide. The Astros were probably the worst culprits, won a WS, and got caught, so the coaches and player most involved took a fall (Luhnow, Hinch, Cora, and Beltran [who had retired as a player anyway] all got 1 year bans), but in general, I think MLB wanted to just move on. Let the Astros take all the media attention, without facing any actual punishment, and we don't have to look any deeper into it. This year MLB introduced "Pitch-com" which eliminates signs all together and lets pitcher and catcher decide pitches electronically.

[@julianc8949]

This is definitely the most accurate take. Hope people and these guys realize that. Still bad what they did of course.

[@Chris-kk6cw]

Beltran is the mastermind behind the 2017 cheating scandal and he came from the Yankees. He learned how to do it there

[@thekvx10]

This right here

[@rossromero9577]

This! Go stros 😅

[@worldtraveler721]

​​​​​@@Chris-kk6cw Exactly. Has anyone read the Yankees unsealed letter? Quotes from the Yankees letter posted in The Athletic: "The Yankees’ use of the dugout phone to relay information about an opposing Club’s signs during the 2015 season, and part of the 2016 season, constitutes a material violation of the Replay Review Regulations. By using the phone in the video review room to INSTANTANEOUSLY transmit the information regarding signs to the dugout in violation of the Regulations, the Yankees were able to provide REAL-TIME information to their PLAYERS regarding opposing Club’s sign sequence....[Redacted] also admitted that during that same time period, in certain stadiums on the ROAD where the video room was not proximate to the dugout [redacted] used the phone line in the REPLAY ROOM to orally provide REAL-TIME information about opposing Club’s signs to Yankee coaches on the bench." They started using their scheme in 2015, WHEN BELTRAN WAS STILL WITH THEM. Coaches and hitters received REAL TIME information on electronically stolen signs. And they also CHEATED ON THE ROAD. The Athletic reported that when Beltran joined the Astros, he told them that their sign-stealing methods were "BEHIND THE TIMES." In other words, Beltran warned them that other teams had better methods. He was actually coming from the Rangers. He was there briefly but was with the Yankees when they started using their cheating scheme. DraftKings clients sued MLB for trying to cover this up. They claimed that the Yankees participated in a much more serious sign stealing scheme than what Manfred claimed when he fined the Yankees for conduct related to ELECTRONIC sign-stealing in Sept of 2017. Manfred at the time said that they only committed a "minor technical infraction." That's why it wasn't just the Yankees that got sued. MLB got sued for covering up and THEY BOTH LOST the lawsuit. They fought to keep that letter sealed, to the point that the case went to the SUPREME COURT 🤦‍♀️. They lost and had to unseal it and sure enough, the DraftKings clients were on point. If there's one thing to take away from this: This is the perfect example of how the marquee brands in baseball always seem to fall outside of TRUE ACCOUNTABILITY. There is no such thing as the Astros took it to another level. Read the above. This was the standing rule in 2017 against ELECTRONIC sign-stealing. It was a rule that prohibited ELECTRONIC SIGN-STEALING way back from 2000!!! MLB had been dealing with the problem since AT LEAST that time. 2000 Regulation “No club shall use ELECTRONIC equipment, including walkie-talkies and cellular telephones, to communicate to or with any on-field personnel, including those in the dugout, bullpen field and-during the game-the clubhouse. Such equipment may not be used for the purpose of STEALING signs or CONVEYING information DESIGNED TO GIVE A CLUB AN ADVANTAGE.” Did the Yankees break that rule? That is what they should have been held accountable for but instead, Manfred deflected and issued a "warning." Ignored the regulation completely to give them a free pass!

[@johncarolina4950]

Honestly, one of the most shocking things about this is that basically no real punishment was levied that really mattered. The league basically pretended it never happened almost. The implications on gambling alone just boggle your mind.

[@DNReacts]

That’s crazy!

[@Durag__bandit98]

@@DNReacts the commissionioner basically said the trophy only metal and honestly that shoulda got him fired if disney ceo came out and shit on mickey mouse I guarantee hed be otw out

[@johncarolina4950]

@@Durag__bandit98 I still can't believe he said that lol

[@Durag__bandit98]

@@johncarolina4950 I’m still shocked he’s still in his position I fuckin lost it when I heard the statement

[@mbdg6810]

@@Durag__bandit98 the words were poor but the intended message wasn't. It's literally the same as "removing the chip won't remove the feelings brought in the moment"

[@johanna0131]

Yay, I’m so glad you guys are watching this one. The punishment was pretty much nothing, at least not for the players. What’s important to remember is that it’s not just about wins and losses, people’s careers were affected by the cheating. They hurt the game. And any Astro who didn’t want to be a part of it, will always be linked to cheating regardless. The Chicago White Sox scandal, where 8 Sox players threw the 1919 World Series for money, was probably the biggest MLB scandal of all time. If you’ve ever heard of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, he was one of the players. All 8 players were banned from baseball for life. The movie “Eight Men Out” was based on the story.

[@DNReacts]

Had a lot of mentions for the 1919 Black-sox Scandal. We’ll definitely get this one added high to the list and get a video uploaded. Thanks for the comment, we really appreciate it, might even have to check out the film!

[@chrisketchem5435]

sign stealing is a club punishment. Club lost draft picks and got fined. You should be upset at the Red Sox cuz the exact same thing happened

[@harrisonbaylor1432]

People’s careers were not as affected as you think. If any player got DFAed because they had a bad outing against the best team in baseball then that only shows that the organization they play for is horrible.

[@soladamsclement1241]

The punishment “wasn’t enough” because the Astros were used as a scapegoat for all of the other teams who were doing the same thing. Also jomboy is a joke of a company for falsely accusing altuve and never apologizing for it.

[@ChaoticRad]

The saddest thing for me as a fan is that it was likely unnecessary. They are still one of the best teams in baseball long after they’ve been under the microscope.

[@DNReacts]

Definitely are. Starting to look really good again this season too and definitely going to be a part of the Playoffs. Probably was all for nothing and not needed.

[@arcxjo]

Just like the Patriots in football.

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

That's the thing about a lot of cheating in baseball, it's often completely unnecessary and in some cases, like bat corking, is counterproductive. Unfortunately, a lot of players think that they have to have _something_ to boost their confidence, because confidence in your abilities is a huge part of winning games in MLB. That's why we see a lot of ritualistic adjusting of the equipment by batters before the pitch, or unique windups during the pitch. If it was part of doing the job before, the player is going to continue doing it. There's also a lot of attempts to shake confidence, like trash talking from the dugout. The sign stealing the Astros did had a dual effect: It shook up opposing pitchers badly (one was even dismissed because the Astros gave him the business), and it gave their batting lineup a huge confidence boost that they never truly earned.

[@RANDOMNESSbyJack]

Houston Native and Astros fan here, you’re so right, absolutely gutted! Texas is a football state, baseball has always taken the back burner, but when the home team started playing really well in 2017, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing an Altuve jersey or an Astros hat. Practically overnight, it felt like the entire city got behind the team. Cut to a few years later to learn that it was ill-gotten gains, really hurts. Still a staunch ‘stros fan and I’m glad we got the win last year legit, but I also wonder that without the 2017 year, and the money and renewed fan base it brought in, would we have the money and resources to be competing as well as we have been? It’s a sour taste, victory in the World Series still tasted really sweet! Showing the baseball world that we’ve got the team and talent to dominate like we have every year since 2017

[@soladamsclement1241]

Not a real Astros fan

[@TheKukulkan]

I've been waiting for this reaction! Great job guys!

[@DNReacts]

Thank you!

[@kuba2398]

As an Astros fan it definitely hurt and I’ve never wanted to celebrate that season after hearing about the scandal. I wouldn’t care if they tore down the 2017 pennant especially since we won the series this past season.

[@CruisinForABrewsin]

Yeah fellow H Town boy here, I kinda feel the same way. But cheating has been so prevalent across the league, other teams better tear down their ill-gotten pennants too. Then again, that would be a LOT of teams. Agree though, it was so embarrassing when it came out and I'm so glad they redeemed themselves with that second win. And the team remained dominant after the scandal came out, so it proves the Astros have legitimately been one of the best teams for several years, because you know everyone is looking at everything they do with a microscope

[@ZachWilsonsMomsFriend]

Yup. Especially after winning it last year, I can’t believe Astros fans still take pride in 2017. You should wear 2022 champions gear with pride every day, you made up for it!

[@Chris-kk6cw]

@@ZachWilsonsMomsFriend they won the World Series in LA! They must have been cheating in LA too

[@jessescott775]

Now you don't care 😂😂 you most definitely cared before the first real ring.

[@jessescott775]

​@Zach Wilson’s Mom’s Friend nah they deserved 100s of years of a drought. Took it from a team who actually played fair and square in 2017. Clown shit, none of the players will be in HOF etc.

[@Mr.DerekReese]

This was not an Astros issue. This was a league wide issue. Opposing pitcher Chris Bassitt had this to say: "This is not to open up a massive can of worms. This kind of thing. But like, Houston was not the only team doing stuff. Like there was a lot of people doing stuff. It was just un- ... I mean, fortunately, but unfortunately only one team essentially got caught doing it or was the guinea pig of it to like clean the whole entire league up." *Just for perspective:* The Red Sox were disciplined by MLB, albeit not as severely as Houston was, for improperly using an Apple Watch to relay the signals of opposing teams during the 2017 season. Robert Murray, then of The Athletic, reported that the Brewers suspected the Dodgers of using a camera to steal their signs during the 2018 NLCS. Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported that the Red Sox illegally stole signs during the 2018 season and that, according to multiple sources, the Yankees had been using the replay room to decode signs since 2015 and the Red Sox since 2016. Scott Miller, then of Bleacher Report, reported in 2019 that certain league sources believed the Diamondbacks, Indians, Rangers, Cubs, Blue Jays, and Nationals used electronic sign-stealing measures to varying extents. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat tweeted that the Brewers and Rangers (in addition to the Astros) were frequently named by players as practitioners of electronic sign-stealing. Former MLBer Logan Morrison named the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros, and Red Sox as team using video to decode signs. SI's Tom Verducci reported that multiple members of the Astros organization told MLB investigators that eight other teams had indulged in similar behavior. You get the idea. While MLB and fans of teams other than the Astros would probably like to believe that Houston was the lone (or lone-ish) bad actor, that's a bit too tidy for reality. Bassitt's disclosures lend more evidence to the idea that it was more of a league-wide issue than a Houston issue. But that's a pill 29 other fan bases would rather not swallow.

[@BenFitter]

Yes, some Astros fans were ashamed, but just as many doubled down on their team and openly antagonize people like Jomboy to this day for their role in exposing it. They downplayed it because no players got suspended and other teams were also cheating to smaller extents. Many fans, and some players like Carlos Correa, even embraced the villain role and thus are still despised by certain fans in 2023.

[@areguapiri]

Cheating?..You sound like a weak man.

[@harrisonbaylor1432]

The only reason Astros fans antagonize Jomboy now is because he made up or went with false allegations like the buzzers and never admitted he was wrong. He tried to make it far worse than it actually was, which I understand his own favorite team keeps getting beat by the Astros in the postseason. But now he tries to sell Astros merchandise. 😂

[@the__Marcness]

I’m a homegrown Astros fan since birth and flew back to Houston for game 3 (moved to Vegas in 07). Also drove down to LA for game 7. To see your hometown team win game 7 in the World Series in person was indescribable. The story comes out, you see the footage and you’re just like “Fuuuuuuck”. Then you realize they were using hidden camera and you think “Holy Fuuuuuuck, this is real bad.” Deflated as a fan for few months and I would never defend them if anyone brought it up but 2 seasons later I was over it. Just happy they won it last season and the city got to celebrate

[@DNReacts]

This is the perfect response to the whole thing! Appreciate your comment!

[@jessescott775]

You're just over it bc they won again, which was the point of the video. No players got punished. Bs.

[@the__Marcness]

⁠@@jessescott775 you’re definitely right on some level. Realistically, I was probably 80% over it by 2019 and The 2022 Championship probably bumped it to 95% over it. 2022 felt more like relief than crazy euphoria

[@mike-0451]

@@jessescott775 No players could be punished because of the CBA agreement. If players agreed to cooperate without immunity it would have been a massive imbalance of power between the union and the league, plus, almost every team was cheating that year, so why would they take the fall?

[@worldtraveler721]

Quotes from the Yankees letter posted in The Athletic: "The Yankees’ use of the dugout phone to relay information about an opposing Club’s signs during the 2015 season, and part of the 2016 season, constitutes a material violation of the Replay Review Regulations. By using the phone in the video review room to INSTANTANEOUSLY transmit the information regarding signs to the dugout in violation of the Regulations, the Yankees were able to provide REAL-TIME information to their PLAYERS regarding opposing Club’s sign sequence....[Redacted] also admitted that during that same time period, in certain stadiums on the ROAD where the video room was not proximate to the dugout [redacted] used the phone line in the REPLAY ROOM to orally provide REAL-TIME information about opposing Club’s signs to Yankee coaches on the bench." The Yankees started using their scheme in 2015, when BELTRAN was still with them. It's no wonder that The Athletic reported that when Beltran joined the Astros, he told them that their sign-stealing methods were "BEHIND THE TIMES." Other teams had better methods and he had been with the Yankees from 2014-2016 and briefly with the Rangers in 2016 before joining the Astros. The letter also states that coaches and hitters received REAL TIME information on electronically stolen signs. And they also CHEATED ON THE ROAD. This is not a minor technical infraction like Manfred claimed. The Yankees and the Red Sox broke the rule that was in place against ELECTRONIC SIGN-STEALING at the time! Yes!!! A rule that actually prohibited ELECTRONIC SIGN-STEALING back from the year 2000! Imagine why MLB had to implement that rule in 2000? 🤦‍♀️ 2000 REGULATION “No club shall use ELECTRONIC equipment, including walkie-talkies and cellular telephones, to communicate to or with any on-field personnel, including those in the dugout, bullpen field and-during the game-the clubhouse. Such equipment may not be used for the purpose of stealing signs or conveying information DESIGNED TO GIVE A CLUB AN ADVANTAGE.” Manfred, instead of holding the Yankees and the Red Sox accountable based on that rule, he completely IGNORED the rule and issued a "warning" in order to deflect and give those two teams a free pass! This is why MLB got sued after all. The media will not tell you this. I've gathered this information from The Athletic and writers like Tom Verducci, Ken Rosenthal, Jayson Stark, Evan Drellich, etc. And there is no evidence that the Astros used the scheme in the POSTSEASON. First of all, Fiers did not accuse them of using it in the postseason. His accusation was SOLELY based on the REGULAR SEASON, when a lot of other teams were breaking the SAME rule. This is what was written in The Athletic about the accusation: "Four people who were with the Astros, including Fiers, said that DURING THE SEASON (REGULAR SEASON), the Astros stole signs during HOME games in real time with the aid of a camera positioned in the outfield." Absolutely NO MENTION of the postseason. Jomboy has ZERO videos of the Astros using the scheme in the POSTSEASON. And this is what Tom Verducci wrote: "One of the sources said: "There is NO EVIDENCE that the trash can system was used in the POSTSEASON or in 2018." According to two more sources familiar with the investigation: "Houston DID NOT use the trash can system in the 2017 POSTSEASON. Banging on trash cans would be too obvious in the HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY of the POSTSEASON environment." Ask Jomboy why there was "HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY." His Yankees and the Red Sox had just been fined and caught that Sept 2017 (for what they started doing in 2015) and because of it, Manfred had just issued the "warning" which was really just a deflection from the rule that was in place. In fact, Fiers told MLB investigators where the scheme came from. Per The Athletic: "[It came from] “a hitter who was struggling at the plate and had benefited from sign stealing with a PREVIOUS team.” Who is the hitter who was struggling at the plate and came from a previous team? BELTRAN. He came from the Yankees and Rangers. He was struggling in Houston to the point that AJ Hinch, Astros' manager, had to bench him. There's a lot that people dont know about this topic and they have instead chosen to believe what they're told to believe

[@JoeBlow_4]

Actually Astros fans online minimized the cheating for the most part. It was the fans of other teams who kept it alive after the season and booed the Astros when they came to town, the next season before it died down.

[@nikopayan8546]

Astros diehard here and yeah after learning about the scandal it hurt because as a team we really didn’t need it. We had good pitching, hitting and defense. We were a better team on the road where we couldn’t use the sign stealing. The biggest thing why us Astros fans have stood by our team when this was because of the Category 5 hurricane that destroyed Houston a month before the 2017 playoffs, the Astros really gave the city something to take their minds off the pain the whole city was going through. For me that’s the part that sucks the most about the cheating.

[@MaddDogg316]

Well said. The vids I took of Harvey on rescue and relief were wild.

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

I later learned that general manager Jeff Luhnow was not a former ball player or coach, he was from a business management consulting firm, and as a former engineer he was _all_ about efficiency. When he was hired by the Astros as GM, he brought in a bunch of guys from his old consulting gig and turned the whole organization into this operation that tried to maximize "results", and by "results", he meant wins. So he fostered a "win at any cost" mindset in the organization, and he threw technology at every problem the team faced, whether it was batting practice (radar), pitching, fielding, etc. Now, that's fine, that's what made a lot of subpar teams great-- the 2002 Angels were one of the first teams to use data and analytics to make the right play at the right time, and they won the World Series; now every team in MLB crunches the numbers in the same way. In the case of the Astros, this "win at any cost" mindset led to a remarkable turnaround for one of the worst teams in baseball, but it also lowered the threshold for acceptable behavior, they _had_ to win games or miss out. If you hear Luhnow talk about what happened, he says he knew nothing, but MLB commissioner Rob Manfred pointed out that Luhnow knew that there were people in the Astros replay room decoding signs and transmitting them to the dugout in violation of the rule, and did nothing about it. When Astros owner Jim Crane fired Luhnow and manager A. J. Hinch, he said that "Neither one of them started this but neither one of them did anything about it", which was awfully convenient of him, he was perfectly happy about the team's World Series win.

[@colesand3802]

You should watch the Dodgers vs Astros incident in their first matchup since the story broke. Jomboy has a good video titled "Joe Kelly throws at Bregman and mocks Correa, a breakdown".

[@crankfastle8138]

We loved Joe Kelly for that.

[@DNReacts]

Thank you for the suggestion, really appreciate this, will check it’s on the watch list, thanks for the comment. We run regular polls on our Discord for all members to have a say in what videos we do next if you’re not already on there 🙏

[@ScottServais-poet]

Regarding punishment: the league definitely didn't do enough however in recent years, it's come to light that multiple teams had similar sign stealing systems including the dodgers and red Sox. Also, Astros players, some that weren't even on the team at the time, and others like Altuve who were against the system, took an absolute beating the next couple years. The amount of hit by pitches they incurred was merciless. Not to mention the ruthless boos and jeers from old opposing fans

[@FrostyJim6969]

I moved to Houston in 1993 when I was 7 years old. I’ve been a diehard Astros fan ever since. As you said, I was thoroughly gutted when news of the scandal broke. I had been waiting 24 years to see my team win their first championship. To later find out it was tainted was an incredibly tough pill to swallow. I bought several pieces of Astros 2017 Champions merchandise, and I was reluctant to wear it in public after the news broke. The Astros went back to the World Series in 2019 and 2021 only to lose both times. Many people said they couldn’t win without cheating somehow. That is why I am SO HAPPY they got back to the WS last year in 2022 and won it! Nobody has been able to say anything about this one being tainted or unearned. It was incredibly satisfying to say the least! Cheers!

[@Fly-The-W]

Id say another well known scandal was the use of steroids in baseball. A big one is known as 'The Mitchell Report'. It named plenty of great players in the sport that had taken steroids and was a massive story.

[@sacrilegiousboi]

The worst imo was Clemens I wanted to see him in the hof he never failed a drug test or anything

[@kylek6708]

and just like the mitchell report, the main people/team involved is rarely punished. mlb is soft asf on the literal rules.

[@AlexValadez]

Not just as a Dodgers fan but as a baseball fan this really hurt. Mostly because they got away with it and for the most part mlb tries to act like it never happened.

[@Chris-kk6cw]

Why couldn’t the Dodgers beat the Astros in LA? Stop crying lol the Astros literally won the WS in LA where it would have been impossible to cheat

[@AlexValadez]

@@Chris-kk6cw They got to game 7 because they cheated. Had there been a proper punishment I would say what's done is done, let's move on.

[@Chris-kk6cw]

@@AlexValadez they only cheated during the regular season lol

[@Fly-The-W]

@@Chris-kk6cw "Only".... Cheating is cheating. There's 0 defense for what they did. Shitty thing is they were probably good enough not to cheat and still win it all. Instead that WS will be black mark on the team and always called into question

[@soladamsclement1241]

Dodgers were cheating too… have you ever taken the time to look at the home and away stats from the 2017 World Series? Oh yeah and how is your prince belinger doing since the cheating scandles broke? Also the mlb tries to act like it never happened because EVERYONE was cheating, just be glad your team wasn’t used as the scapegoat

[@chrisketchem5435]

MLB did a league investigation finding at least 8 teams participated in illegal sign stealing. ironically the Indians, were one of those teams. They reached the playoffs in 2017 with over 100 wins. The Indians havent reached 100 wins since or ever before that. You can look up Chris Bassit, Lucas Gialito, Logan Morrison, and Erik Kratz all confirmed that there were multiple teams doing the exact same thing the Astros did in 2017. Despite that the Astros hit more HRs in LA when they didnt use the system. Dodgers set a WS strikeout record and left 8 runners stranded in game 7 and the Dodgers lost 2 games in LA. Astros scored at least 3 runs off of errors (missed diving play, ball bouncing over the wall while tipped off glove, and a wild throw to first) Astros won more games on the road in 2017 when the systems wasnt being used.. Sign stealing played a very small factor in the Astros winning the 2017 WS.

[@_Delio]

I going to be honest I can't speak for all Astros fans but as a astros fan myself, I was beyond pissed. A lot of people tend to forget but in 2017 houston was hit with a hurricane that devastated the city. Plenty of people including myself lost our homes, love ones and had to restart their lives all over again. When the astros started their playoffs run, me and my family along with hundreds of others were still in staying in Georgia R. Brown. Seeing kids cry themselves to sleep every single night for 2 weeks straight, mothers feeling overwhelmed and fathers *(including myself)* feeling like we were failures as men and that our family would better off without us. And even through all that at the time, the astros bought us hope to fight back and to be destruction we so desperately needed at the time. And though we didn't know they cheated or condone what they did we can't forget that when -the city- the county was broken physically, mentally and spiritually we had something to smile about again and to give us some form of normality. Please do a video on Hurricane Harvey.

[@kylek6708]

sorry that happened to you, but this is a channel that doesn't cover hurricanes lol.

[@bradigan]

Lots of people are recommending the Black Sox scandal. You should definitely take a look at that, and a breakdown of the steroids era of the 2000s would be pretty cool too.

[@peterandjunko]

Yes good call. The Black Sox Scandal is the first major scandal in US team sports. It also coincided with the end of the dead ball era, the emergence of Babe Ruth, the home run, and the explosion of baseballs popularity arising from the ash heap of the scandal.

[@DNReacts]

Had a lot of mentions for the 1919 Black-sox Scandal Brad. We’ll definitely get this one added high to the list and get a video uploaded. Thanks for the comment, we really appreciate it, also made note of the steroids scandal too 🤝

[@peterandjunko]

@@DNReacts good to hear- but disco demolition first!! - (but black sox scandal is interesting and more historically significant)

[@harrisonbaylor1432]

@@DNReacts the steroid scandal has a lot in it. Basically MLB is really bad at actually taking care of cheating.

[@haysoncw]

That beard style Mike Fiers was rocking in the video is called the monkey tail. Its an intentional style and rather interesting to say the least haha.

[@randysake5031]

Oakland A's in the 70's, not only 3 straight Championships, but the best mustaches ever.

[@noahdoss1967]

This was a rare piece of good journalism from the athletic, who nowadays tend to skew towards sensationalist headlines and sloppy, ill-informed use of statistics

[@derrickmallory4916]

A lot of this same team has gone to the ALCS every year since 2017, including the most recent World Series win in 2022. They mostly shut up the haters by actually being a very good team without cheating. The same thing works for Tatis's steroid ban. If he performs well without steroids, people will forgive and forget. However, when someone like George Springer who now plays on the Blue Jays or Carlos Correa who now plays for the Twins (2017 Astros) comes to bat, people in the crowd will chant "Cheater! Cheater!' and you'll hear it on the broadcast. It's louder in places like Dodger's stadium in LA and Progressive Field in Cleveland because they cheated to beat those teams in the playoffs, so the fanbases are more bitter. Also, certain players, particularly Jose Altuve, who is still an Astros player, is noted for telling everyone not to do that during ABs because he didn't cheat. Good on him. 2nd note. This story dropped in the offseason after the 2019 season had ended, two years after they cheated to win. The following year, MLB played a 60-game shortened season without fans in the audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all games being suspended about a week into preseason play. So it was almost 2 years before fans were allowed to watch the Astros again, and that insane time in the middle did them a massive favor with people's memories.

[@mzimmerman2484]

Just came across your channel after having watched some documentaries. The World Baseball Classic really opened my eyes to the popularity of the game abroad. It's nice to find a channel where people are discovering their own love for the game. I've been involved in baseball since I was 6 years old. I'm 39 now. I grew up watching the Seattle Mariners. Ken Griffey Jr. & Sr., Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez. Championship caliber baseball. I also played for 11 years, Little League, then "Travel Ball" and finally High School. I completely tore my labrum in High School and haven't played since.

[@DNReacts]

Hi Michael, welcome to the Channel. Thank you for your comment, really appreciate it! We do have a video for Ken Griffey Jr in the playlists. We’ve been loving this journey into the world of Baseball. Sorry to hear about the injury suffered too, sounds nasty.

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

Hey, don't forget Ichiro Suzuki.

[@amj4]

Carlos Beltran, who was a player on the Astros, was hired to be Mets manager (he had been a great Mets player fora long time) but after he was named in this scandal he was fired by the Mets without ever managing a game. Just this year he was again hired by the Mets to work in the front office.

[@KooperTX]

Astros fan here. Multiple players from other teams have come out since the scandal saying that the Astros weren’t the only team cheating.

[@wildboar1911A1]

A former astro, was on twitter recently on a drunken rant, and confrimed that they cheated (stole signs) all throughout the playoffs and world series that year too. Someone asked him if he knew what was coming on a massively influcential homer he hit imself in the world series, and he said yes.

[@liammarvelle2035]

Irrationally excited for the batting cage video. Love the channel!

[@lovesgucci1]

There’s the “Home Run House” in London.

[@DNReacts]

Appreciate it!

[@DNReacts]

That’s where we went 😀

[@ohshityoheadsgone]

I kind of feel for Astros fans these days, this is a team that's currently one of the most impressively built franchises in the modern age and it will always be clouded by 2017. They could win three more World Series and a pretty solid chunk of fans would see them as a villain who deserves nothing more than to be removed from the league all together, even though a significant amount of the cheating team are long gone. I just dont this franchises image being redeemed on a national level for at least another decade.

[@DNReacts]

Yeah there has to be a point where people move on!

[@goldenstatewarriors9418]

I agree but I think that’s part of what makes people so frustrated that they decided to cheat. The Astros are an incredibly well run organization in recent years and are an immensely talented team. They probably could have been patient and ended up winning the WS any one of these years. While I’m glad the recent title has validated their success, it’s also made the cheating that much more baffling. They’ve been to the last 6 ALCS, along with 4 WS and won a second one last year, they were good enough to contend at the highest level without cheating, which makes it even more of a shame that they resorted to that.

[@Eijianthony]

@@DNReacts Ive moved on as a Dodgers fan, but I never forget. Also, if it happened to your favorite team, ask yourself honestly how would you would feel?

[@lovesgucci1]

Here’s the thing, I think it’s the Astros fans that make it worse. The Astros beat my Phillies because they were the better team, definitely not because of the cheating scandal. But the fans are so freaking annoying and crave attention and acknowledgment. I also think the Astros not being punished is another excuse to continue hating on them

[@MaddDogg316]

​@@lovesgucci1, stop the BS. The Astros organization was punished mightily. The Astros future was levied significantly from the punishment. It was an organizational issue not a player issue.

[@elizabethrogers8306]

Gambling in baseball has become so big a money issue. I can't help but wonder if this influences player performance. But how can you prove a player is throwing the game through poor performance or botched plays? One team did well in the beginning of the season last year. So good that analysts were reassessing their playoff chances. All of a sudden, they could not win a game. This season the same teams owner had to tell the front office to stop running the game and leave it to the manager only. But who knows???

[@gracielynn9623]

Must be either the Colorado Rockies or LA Angels right?

[@jordonez42]

I am a lifelong Astros fan so I will just give you the rote Astros fan defense: the Astros were far from the only team up to such shenanigans, in fact the article that exposed us’s headline literally reads “Part of Wider issue in Baseball.” But we had a rat, in Fiers, and the other team didn’t. Most fans of other teams never wanna hear it from us, how we feel scapegoated for the big boys from the large media market cities (New York, LA). But at this point, it’s fine. The fact that we are the absolute #1 hated team now made winning the World Series last year that much sweeter, believe me :) I also appreciate you not doing Jomboys video on Altuves supposed buzzer in the 2019 walkoff. THAT is completely unsubstantiated and I would argue defamatory. Altuve is one of the nicest and best players in baseball but because of the video alone he is hated more than even other stars from the 2017 team (which I don’t deny we cheated). Anyways, thats a discussion for another day, but cheers

[@nicklwells]

the Braves pitcher you're thinking of is Spencer Strider! Great content lads!!

[@DNReacts]

Thanks Nick!

[@ryanquinn8216]

I’m a huge Astros fan and I don’t care too much. We were way better on the road than we were at home in 2017 and we just won another World Series last year so 🤷🏼 being an Astros fan is good

[@inarar5334]

Yeah, the 1919 Black Sox scandal is probably the biggest team scandal. Hard to top throwing a World Series in a gambling conspiracy.

[@DNReacts]

Had a lot of mentions for the 1919 Black-sox Scandal, sounds incredible that this even happened. We’ll definitely get this one added high to the list and get a video uploaded. Thanks for the comment, we really appreciate it 🙏

[@KevinCastillo-xt2yi]

as an astro fan i was really disappointed and really considered not following the team anymore . as more information came out , it turns out many teams and all postseason teams were sign stealing that same year , the reality is there was rampant cheating throughout the league and the astros were the only one that got caught . the commissioner of baseball asked players to speak up in exchange for immunity . if the astros we’re going to get punished then everyone else in league should have received the punishment as well . since bigger names like the yankees and red sox were also cheating , the commissioner decided to scapegoat the astros i’m order to save face for the entire league , which explains why the players never got punished

[@DNReacts]

Thank you for this Kevin, was a really great read. Seen a trend in the comments that there was more going on than just this, definitely feels like there’s more to look into. Really appreciate the comment, thanks 🙏

[@areguapiri]

"rampant" cheating? ..Give me a break!

[@whimsofmim]

Baseball is full of cheating and scandals. Right now, there is a major problem in the league with pitcher's doctoring the ball (using extremely sticky substances on their hands to improve grip/spinrate), and a new controversy surrounding something called "pitch tipping", which is pretty much this Astros scandal times 100. There are now high speed cameras in all the parks that capture the action from multiple angles and vantage points. Teams are using this tech to catch "tells" from pitchers about what pitch they are going to throw (things that would be imperceptible on the field or even when a coach or player watches normal footage of a game trying to catch a pitch's tells for their various pitches). We're talking stuff like certain tendons being barely visible based on the grip the pitcher is using while the ball is still obscured in their gloves. Teams are using real time tells like this to communicate to players on the field. A lot of this stuff ruins the game, but there is very little that can be done about it. Baseball very much has an ethos of "if you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough."

[@gracielynn9623]

The Braves pitcher you were thinking of that had the insane mustache is Spencer Strider.

[@DNReacts]

Yes, thank you so much Gracie, that’s him, appreciate the confirmation, thanks for the comment!

[@gracielynn9623]

@@DNReacts they even have a Spenser Strider mustache bobble head night.

[@DNReacts]

This sounds epic 😂

[@matthewlee6168]

I've been an Astros fan for 50 years--I suffered through all the 'Disastros' and 'Lastros' years--and never thought I would see them even play in the World Series. (Then, of course, they made it in 2005 and got SWEPT by the White Sox.) When they won in 2017, I was ecstatic. When the scandal broke it was crushing. I am glad they won it last year--but I don't even count 2017 any longer.

[@soladamsclement1241]

You aren’t a real Astros fan

[@matthewlee6168]

@@soladamsclement1241 Why not? Because I care about integrity? They cheated in 2017, so the title is tainted, plain and simple. Some of us still care about doing things the right way.

[@soladamsclement1241]

@@matthewlee6168 every team was cheating, you sound like a loser, you are just willing to except being the scapegoat franchise while the Yankees and dodgers among other teams were doing the same shit

[@carlosvaladez2186]

Another 🔥 reaction. Life long dodger fan here, I would like to see the players come out and be honest about the extent of the cheating,. MLB should threaten a suspension if players are found to have cheated and did not disclose so.

[@SuperGalaxy]

The aftermath was that since the players cooperated with the investigation, they all got away scot-free with no punishments. General manager Jeff Luhnow, manager AJ Hinch, and bench coach Alex Cora were all suspended from the MLB for a year or 2 and fired from the Astros organization. However, AJ Hinch got a job soon after with the Tigers and Alex Cora got a job with the Red Sox’s. The only person that’s still feeling the repercussions from the scandal is Jeff Luhnow. Carlos Beltrán - a veteran player on the 2017 team - was supposed to be a Mets manager, but after the story broke the contract became void. Right now he is in the Hall of Fame ballot because he played his final year in the Astros uniform in 2017. And while his numbers are for sure Hall of Fame worthy, a lot of the baseball writers didn’t vote for him because they felt he was one of the key players involved in the sign stealing system.

[@krcjayhawks]

Astros fans just claimed everyone cheats and didn't have much shame in their team at all. I saw waaay more taunting than disappointment from gheir fans. And I'm a Yankee fan, so they really make sure to rub their recent success in my face, both legit and undeserved, as much as possible lol

[@SharinganRebirth]

Facts. They really trying hard to be the new bad guy lol

[@MaddDogg316]

You mean the Yankees that were using the same electronic sign stealing system in 2015 that got the league's attention but nothing ever came of it because you're the Yankees. The same system that Beltran copied and put in place in Houston. Those Yankees? Or the Yankees that were juiced out of their minds in the 90s to win several World Series. Oh wait, but everyone was juicing so it's ok. 🙄 Yankees fans are the last ones that should say anything about this whole deal.

[@Chris-kk6cw]

Beltran brought that cheating system over from the Yankees lmao

[@SharinganRebirth]

@@Chris-kk6cw If the Yankees had a system, the results would show but there alas there was nothing going on. Nice try kid. Stay mad that your team got humiliated and cast out by everyone.

[@SharinganRebirth]

@@Chris-kk6cw If the Yankees had a system, the results would show but there alas there was nothing going on. Nice try kid. Stay mad that your team got humiliated and cast out by everyone.

[@superjonh1000]

A great video to watch after this would be one from "Baseball Doesn't Exist" called "The Biggest Bully Victim in Sports". It talks about Jose Altuve, who is a legend in Houston, won the 2017 AL MVP and was heavily accused of cheating, to the point where in 2020 he had the worst season of his career in every stat possible, even though he never actually cheated. Before people say anything, I'm not an Astros fan and I was on the Astros hate bandwagon until recently, but after hearing about so many teams cheating in recent years, I've changed sides. It became clear to me that the only reason people are so annoyed by the Astros it's because they've been one of the best baseball teams in the past 6 years. People have this fake morality, when their own teams are doing questionable things. The only teams we can be sure are not doing any cheating are the ones like my Giants who have been to the playoffs 1 time in the last 6 years lol

[@worldtraveler721]

I'm laughing as I watch the video. Jomboy, as a Yankee fan, is the last one who should be talking here. Electronic sign-stealing was a leaguewide problem. When MLB implemented the challenge replay system, EVERY TEAM had cameras that gave them REAL TIME INFORMATION and they were using them to steal signs. Tom Verducci wrote about this specifically and explained how this contributed to making the problem rampant LEAGUEWIDE: Verducci explained: "Once baseball went to a challenge replay system (2014), they put television monitors within range of the dugoutS that had CAMERAS dedicated from CENTER FIELD to the HOME PLATE area and those CAMERAS were in REAL TIME. It was just too tempting for A LOT of PLAYERS NOT to take advantage of and misuse. That I call Pandora's Box that was opened by PLAYERS STEALING SIGNS. Now the Commissioner is trying to close that box and who knows what other forms of TECHNOLOGY will make policing this kind of thing even more difficult." If you notice at 47 seconds into your video, the title of that article clearly states that this "WAS PART OF A MUCH BROADER ISSUE FOR MLB." The Astros were not the only ones with these cameras. Every team had them because of the challenge replay system and they were using them to steal signs in REAL TIME. MLB was fully aware of the problem. In fact, it wasn't the Astros who got caught FIRST. The Yankees and the Red Sox got caught and fined for conduct related to ELECTRONIC sign-stealing in Sept of 2017. Mike Fiers didn’t snitch until Nov 2019, TWO ENTIRE YEARS AFTER THE YANKEES AND RED SOX GOT CAUGHT. And there is a lot that goes into both of those teams getting caught. The entire reason why the Yankees got sued by DraftKings clients is because they claimed that the Yankees participated in a much more serious sign stealing scheme. MLB also got sued because when Manfred fined the Yankees in Sept 2017, he said that they had only participated in a "minor technical infraction." In other words, he covered up for them. If you read the Yankees unsealed letter, the one that the Yankees and MLB fought so hard in court to keep sealed, the DraftKings clientele were right on point. Both the Yankees and MLB lost as the case went all the way to the Supreme Court. That's how much they fought to try to keep that letter sealed, ultimately losing that case. The letter was then unsealed. I will post the quotes that were posted in The Athletic in a separate comment

[@noodler5583]

The Yankees were using the YES network cam in center in 2015 and part of 2016 and were fined. They stopped using their system well before Manfred’s memorandum to the teams about using technology for sign stealing in 2017 which is why they weren’t punished as much and why it was much less excusable from teams like the Astros and Red Sox

[@worldtraveler721]

@@noodler5583 How does Manfred know that they stopped? He wasn't there and the Yankees were not going to say much more. Manfred wasn't going to say much either if MLB went all the way to the Supreme Court to try to cover up for them! Manfred covered up for them, which is why MLB also got sued! No one is going to make me believe that they stopped or that they only used their schemes with a man on 2nd base. No one was there but those teams. I'm not sure if you read my other comment. I posted two different comments. But cameras are technology. The rule that was in place at the time prohibited ELECTRONIC SIGN-STEALING. They broke that rule. 2000 REGULATION “NO CLUB shall use ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, including walkie-talkies and cellular telephones, to communicate to or with any on-field personnel, including those in the DUGOUT, bullpen field and-during the game-the clubhouse. Such equipment may not be used for the purpose of STEALING SIGNS or CONVEYING INFORMATION designed to give a club an advantage.” Go back and read the letter and what they did. I posted it in my other comment. They broke that rule but Manfred gave them a free pass. The Red Sox, with Apple watches: thats the use of technology. Why were they given a free pass. Manfred wasn't there so he shouldn't say that they only used their schemes with a man on 2nd base. He shouldn't say that they stopped. Yet, without evidence that the Astros cheated in that postseason, he readily said that it was in his "view" that they continued to use it that postseason. No evidence whatsoever and he was so willing to hold the team that got caught LAST accountable and the teams that got caught FIRST, he was so willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and believe what they told him, again with no evidence. Nothing but double standards here.

[@noodler5583]

@@BillyandtheCloneasaurus I’d disagree just because there was a huge difference between what the Astros and Yankees were doing. Plus the fact that the Astros continued after Manfred addressed the league to specifically say that teams were not allowed to use technology that way

[@noodler5583]

@@worldtraveler721 The only reason that the Yankees got caught was because someone from within their organization admitted to it. Why would he confess if there was no evidence, but then also lie about in what way and how long they were doing it in the confession. If he was going to lie he could have just not said anything. So your accusation about the Yankees doing it for longer than was reported doesn’t really make sense. Also, we know that the Astros cheated in 2017 and at least some of 2018, do you really think they decided to take a break during the 2017 playoffs, the most important part of the season?

[@worldtraveler721]

@@noodler5583 we are not going to talk about differences here. The Yankees received REAL TIME information on electronically stolen signs. Did you not read the unsealed letter? The rule that was in place at the time prohibited that. The Yankees broke that rule PERIOD. And don't bring up the "warning" and ignore that Manfred used that warning to deflect from actually holding the Yankees accountable by the 2000 regulation. The "warning" happened after all because the Yankees and Red Sox got caught. But the 2000 regulation was completely IGNORED by Manfred and he gave them a free pass! People love to bring up that warning but ignore why Manfred used it in the first place! Don't ignore that part.

[@McCallEdwards]

The Braves pitcher with the mustache you were talking about is Spencer Strider or quad-zilla or the quadfather

[@a00141799]

I always stay until the end boys. lol.. Can't wait to see your footage from the batting cages. I knew you'd be sore too. I went a few year ago (at about 55 yrs old) and I couldn't raise my arm or use my shoulder for over a week. I did stay in the batting cage for about and hour tho taking 50 to 60 mph pitches. Terrible mistake! That was way too long for an out of shape former pitcher. I threw batting practice for a local high school team around the same time, and what do you know. I can still throw strikes. Albeit with no velocity at all. ♠

[@Doc_rubio_art]

No one was suspended because investigators show that EVERY team had a system for competitive advantage. It happened…it’s cleaned up…Astros are the scapegoat…Other teams more than cheated with the mlbs blessing

[@mattwonder4657]

As long as players from that 2017 team are still on the team anything they do doesn’t really matter

[@CM-vc1hj]

The biggest scandal in baseball is for sure the steroid scandals of the 90s and early 00s

[@DNReacts]

Thank you!

[@lovesgucci1]

@C M But also the most exciting time in baseball! Go figure! Haha

[@harrisonbaylor1432]

This video doesn’t mention a few things that people often take for granted. First off the Astros have been seen as one of if not the team to beat since 2017 and people will talk about how great their offense (the offense is the place where the cheating takes place) is. However their pitching and defense is usually better, it just doesn’t get the credit it deserves. The other theories like whistling and the players wearing buzzers are false. At the time of this video we didn’t know but there’s never been any actual evidence for it. Multiple players from other teams have claimed that the Astros were not the only team cheating in this manner, they probably took it the furthest or cheated the most. But this was an issue going across the league. And finally the video did mention it a bit but the cheating doesn’t seem to have actually helped much. Some people will choose to not believe this but it’s true, fangraphs has an article on how much the “bangs” helped during low mid and high leverage situations and kinda proves it didn’t change the expected outcome. Not every player was doing this, most were but not all. With that being said, the Astros never should have cheated and what they did was wrong. It doesn’t matter if every other team in baseball was doing the exact same thing and the Astros really are just a scapegoat. Cheating is wrong regardless.

[@besinji2000]

As an Astros fan this was highly discouraging. Especially since they had such a great team then and still do. Most teams try to steal pitches. This like they said was more about the camera or any technology. I saw last year as redemption

[@noahdoss1967]

I personally believe that a cheating scandal like this should result in the most brutal penalty contractually available. I’d want to throw them the fuck out of the league but I know that’s structurally impossible.

[@MrThankman360]

People whistle a lot at games. It’s an alternative way to cheer or say “let’s go!”

[@lexzone-six9912]

The Atlanta Braves pitcher with the mustache you're thinking of is Spencer Strider.

[@DNReacts]

Yes, that’s him, thank you for this. Can’t believe I couldn’t remember his name! Thank you for your comment, really appreciate it 🤝

[@MrHeart12]

Theres a lot of nuance here. In the years since a plethora of players have come out to the media that the astros werent the only team doing this. But it was a league wide thing happening that MLB just sort of allowed to happen. Theyve been known to do this with things like Steroids, sticky stuff for pitchers, and sign stealing. As for not punishing the players, they were granted immunity for cooperation in the investigation. Overall it is most likely the Astros agreed to be the scapegoat and the face of the scandal for a lighter punishment. But there was still a punishment on the org. Most smart fans realize they weren't alone and recognize the Astros organization is very talented with player development and have won their second title already, last year. So it was not good but its not the only reason they are a major force in the sport.

[@besinji2000]

I think the punishment was they couldn’t have trash cans in the dugouts anymore. I can’t remember a time when there wasn’t pine tar, spider tak, steroids, corked bats… there’s always someone or a lot of people trying to get an advantage

[@hunterhose347]

Astros won the World Series last year in 2022 with only around 3 players from the 2017 team still on the roster

[@BrettNance37]

Just this week, Manfred stated that he regrets giving the 2017 Astros players immunity during the investigation.

[@anthonylong9067]

And we wonder why he’s so incompetent

[@TheGuruoftheLads]

Being from Houston, when the news broke of the scandal, it broke the city. The first championship ever obtained in baseball being tainted. It was heartbreaking. Tbh, I wish they took it away, but they didn’t. Houston copes with it now by talking shit about it and making a joke of the whole thing. But in reality, it was rough. As of right now, I think we are the best team in the American League and are headed to our 7th ALCS. I like to think we won our first WS last year.

[@anthonylong9067]

In regards to that facial hair from Mike Fiers around 8:20 in, he explained he was in a bad car accident in college and because of that and the surgery, he cant grow hair on that part of his face

[@christiansinger9377]

regardess, knowing a pitch is offspeed, is a huge advantage

[@jrlewis0213]

The Red Sox did the same thing the next year. (Not with the trash cans and no I’m not talking about Apple Watches) MLB had a technology sign stealing problem and only punished the Astros and the Ref Sox. People think the punishments weren’t severe enough. However, that WS championship help the surrounding area with hope after one of the worst natural disaster in US history. The MLB was told the Yankees was using technology but didn’t do anything about it. Plus (this isn’t confirmed calm down guys) there are people saying that the Dodgers and the Yankees used technology to steal signs in 2017 as well. (Those people are also saying that trash cans were not used) So as a Astros fan. Did they cheat? Yes. No one in the fan base denies it. Did they fall off from this? No they haven’t missed the American League Championship Series since 2016. Do I think the title should be stripped? No. That run helped that city rebuild after the devastating hurricane. Should the punishment been more? Kind of. Maybe not being able to draft someone at all in the next draft. (That hurts more than what people think) Was whistling going on? Here’s how I’m going to answer that. I am so big of a die hard Astros fan that I know who the bandwagons are. I wanted to go see them play at Minute Maid Park (aka MMP, aka the juice box. Minute Maid is a juice drink company out of Texas) when they sucked. They were losing more than 100 games and I wanted to go see them and cheer for them no matter what. Even when they sucked for whatever reason it is (maybe because of the echo in the park when the roof was closed and no one was watching a sucky team play) they were whistling. Texans love alcohol. Drunk fans whistled so much at the games it was annoying. I moved states about 2 months before the hurricane hit so I was watching them on TV. When I herd the whistles over the telecast, I new it was fans because for whatever they do people do that. Fans try to make as much noise as possible and that is also one of the ways people make noise. (Yes this is like the only reason why the sober people would whistle) Honestly now I think people can’t stand the Astros because they keep on winning. If you told a 11 year old me 10 years ago that you would be one of the Yankees biggest rivals, I (The kid that didn’t want to hear any slander against a team that absolutely sucked in 2013) would’ve told you were insane. The Astros are my team. My favorite Astro of all time is Craig Biggio. In my opinion JR Richard is the best pitcher to ever put on a Astros uniform, and we had Nolan Ryan. (Damn Alvin High School products. Let’s go Clear Creek Wildcats. 😂) I also (along with everyone else in this fan base) acknowledges this and then looks at the scoreboard after the scandal came out. Let’s Go Stros.

[@MaddDogg316]

As an Astros fan, i hated that they resorted to this. It was a huge disappointment but I dont entirely fault them since at least 20 teams were doing the same thing. I think they shouldn't have partaken at all. I've moved on, though, so it is what it is.

[@phillipcarter5681]

The hysteria over this is quite comical. It's to the point that the player who receives the most vitriol from fans is one of the only ones who can be verified to not have partaken in the cheating scheme. People seem to do mental gymnastics around that one easily enough, inventing imagined buzzer schemes based on the very credible accusations of some rando on twitter claiming to be a player's niece. Let me inject some reason. Players didn't receive punishment BECAUSE this was a league-wide issue. Astros may have been the biggest of perpetrators, but it hardly seems appropriate to suspend only Astros players when other players on other teams were doing similar things. And, YES, there are a number of current and former players who have admitted as much. The commissioner handling the scandal inelegantly was a PR distraction that scapegoated the Astros in an attempt to preserve the image of the league on the whole, similarly to the scapegoating of individual players of the Steroid Era. MLB has since introduced PitchCom, a device which allows for pitches to be relayed without the use of signs, thereby eliminating sign stealing of pitches and also speeding up the game. I think everyone should thank the Astros for being the impetus the league apparently needed to finally institute technology that could have been in use for at least a decade prior.

[@DougTurley]

One issue with playing the unedited broadcast audio is it's not the same as playing the field audio. It doesn't tell how easy or hard it would be for the players on the field to hear.

[@alexwatkins1931]

The braves pitcher you mentioned is spencer Strider!! Dude is a beast!

[@DNReacts]

Yes, that’s him, thank you for this Alex. Can’t believe I couldn’t remember his name! Thank you for your comment, really appreciate it.

[@faust5398]

Literally been WAITING for this

[@DNReacts]

Hope it lives up to expectations 🙏

[@faust5398]

@@DNReactsit more than delivered !!! Always can't wait for another video you're the only reactors that have learned the rules of the sports you're reacting too!! From Canada with love !

[@Beltran15x]

The Astros were fined the maximum allowable $5 million and forfeited their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. No players were punished because they had been given immunity by MLB in exchange for their cooperation. the manager, aj hinch. and general manager, jeff lunhow. were fired. carlos Beltran ultimately lost a manager job after agreeing to a 3 year deal in 2020 with the mets. the mlb couldnt go after the players because they would be suspending players that were no longer on the astros.

[@evanmedcraft8929]

People got in more trouble for hitting the Astros with pitches to pay them back for the scandal than Houston did for actually cheating

[@areguapiri]

Because sign stealing is part of baseball

[@brettg274]

This is the biggest baseball scandal of modern times, if you don’t count steroids in general. However I would still say the biggest scandal in baseball history is the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

[@gondo1416]

As an Astros fan, that lives in Houston, I was not mad when I found out we cheated I was more upset we got caught, because one thing about baseball is that EVERYSINGLE TEAM cheats one way or another. But since then the Astros have proved time and time again that they are the real deal. So all I care about now is swing how hell bent people are about something that happened so long ago and just can’t let it go lol

[@areguapiri]

Only wimpy men call other men "cheaters".

[@jmelamp3926]

I can't wait for the 30 for 30 documentary to come out on this in 10-20 years

[@Starman_Deluxe]

Lots of pitchers have said Alex Rodriguez gave opposing teams pitch signals in order to get the same treatment to pad his own stats

[@Kyle_116]

The reason the Astros basically got away with it for the whole regular season is that every team is cheating in some way. Unless it's super egregious, teams will generally not call each other out much.

[@whatUPitsJORDAN]

Betting on your team to lose is worse.

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

Carlos Beltran retired from playing, was named Manager of the New York Mets... the scandal became public.. Beltran got fired by the Mets before spring training.

[@figmillenium]

It’s a LIE that there was “no punishment”. The manager, general manager, and (former) bench coach were suspended for 1 year. Then the Astros fired that manager and GM. The newly hired manager of the NY Mets and architect of the scheme (Carlos Beltran, a former Yankee and Met) was fired too (where do you think he got the ideas from?). Astros players, who via MLBPA guidelines, weren’t compelled to speak to investigators, still did when given “immunity”. The whistleblower, disgruntled former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, has since been ostracized by EVERY major league team. The league doesn’t care because “EVERYONE WAS DOING SOMETHING” they would’ve had to call out every team if they dug deeper. As soon as their suspensions were completed, AJ Hinch, the Astros manager in 2017, was hired to manage the Tigers and Alex Cora, the Astros bench coach in 2017, was REHIRED as manager of the Red Sox. Carlos Beltran, since the scandal, has worked for both the Yankees and the Mets. José Altuve, who by ALL investigative reports DID NOT participate in the scheme, volunteered to read a prepared statement apologizing for the team’s actions, has been cast as the face of the scandal by #JOMBOY and most East Coast and West Coast media. #JOMBOY raked in millions $ by perpetuating these allegations and dragging #josealtuve through the mud. #JOMBOY now sells Astros-associated merchandise. #hypocrite

[@SharinganRebirth]

Its still not a punishment regardless. Its a joke. You got away with murder.

[@TheLetsPlayBaseballCurse]

At about the 17:00 mark you guys talk a bit about how you'd feel as a fan if your team won using means like this. Unfortunately, there is a LOUD subset of Astros fans who will defend the team and its actions to the grave. Wether its a small sample size that I've seen a lot of or its a big portion of the fanbase, I'm not sure (though I do hope it's the former), but what I've heard from that crowd is that the team and palyers didn't do anything wrong, that the punishment (that I personally thought was kinda light) was insane, and/or that every team cheats and this whole thing was blown out of proportion. Some interviews around when 2020 Spring Training was scheduled before the pandemic also kinda contribute to that. Little to no remorse from the players from what I saw. Lots of "the MLB did its investigation and did what they saw fit." No remorse, no owning up to it, no nothing, which to me is the worst part of it. Advantage or not they still did something illegal and basically responded with "we don't care, you're wrong, be quiet and move on." Even the most basic of acknowledgements of it happening would be a good start but it's just not something I've seen myself and that's a place I'd've liked them to start with before moving on but given that it's been a few years I don't think anything of the sort is actually going to happen.

[@astroplayer74u]

there's a few videos out there of players from all over mlb giving their opinions on that whole situation. you guys should check it out.

[@DNReacts]

Thank you for the suggestion Ryan, really appreciate this, will do some searches to see what we can find, thanks for the comment. We run regular polls on our Discord for all members to have a say in what videos we do next if you’re not already on there 🙏

[@jimspetdragons3737]

Plenty of scandals bigger. Perhaps the most notorious scandal involves the Chicago White Sox better known as the "Black Sox" in 1919. 8 player were banned for life for their part in throwing the World Series seemingly w/o real proof. and was a more political move for MLB to discourage this behavior. Pete Rose was also banned for life for betting on baseball in 1989 though he only bet on his own team. this was a high profile player and scandal at the time. There are many players banned for life for various reasons. The Astros players were never punished and most plead they did nothing wrong to this day. The team was fined $5M + lost 2 Draft picks. The GM and team Manager were fired by the Astros. I believe the punishment should also include vacating the WS championship and all winning moneys returned. Also, any players awards earned should be forfeited and moneys associated for those awards be returned. Fines could be levied, but suspending the entire team is impractical and excessive. None of these were earned outright over the other players who did not cheat. No doubt this would be challenged by the Players union, but I think it would be appropriate to the current evidence and magnitude of how long it was employed whether the Astros were that good or not. if it were only a few games, that would not be worth this level of punishment, but it has likely been committed over the entire season and beyond as evidence suggests. Too many games were compromised to not merit these measures.

[@DNReacts]

Had a lot of mentions for the 1919 Black-sox Scandal. We’ll definitely get this one added high to the list and get a video uploaded. Thanks for the comment, we really appreciate it. Also made note of the Pete Rose story as this also sounds crazy and one we have to check out

[@jimspetdragons3737]

@@DNReacts Definitely a big story in it's day. Others have been suspended/banned for the same reason. Rose should probably be reinstated w/ all the more egregious behaviors that have not been banned, but that is just my opinion.

[@Er059]

Btw the reason a lot of people assume and say the astros cheated in the World Series is because in game 5 kershaw couldnt get a swing and miss on a SINGLE breaking ball

[@artistical88]

It sucks for baseball. I’m so sad for the Houston fans. The team won the World Series only a few weeks after a devastating hurricane (Harvey) ripped through their city, and I remember the whole country (I’m a Braves fan) being compelled to root for the Astros in part because of the damage and devastation from the storm. They were so easy to root for, especially Altuve, who was MVP despite being the shortest player in baseball, and George Springer who has dealt with a bad stammer for his whole life, and after he found success in the majors, he became an advocate and role model in the public for other kids who have stammers. They were all inspiring and they were a truly GREAT team. It kinda hurts more when you think they didn’t actually need to cheat to win. If you watch game 5 of that World Series, it really seems suspicious because Kershaw of the Dodgers is a future hall of famer, and he gave up hit after hit and barely got any swings and misses on his breaking pitches. Really unusual for him. Since this video came out, the league finished their investigation and announced that there was some kind of cheating DURING the playoffs, but they did not describe how it was accomplished. I hate how opaque MLB has been about their findings. To me it lets the Astros off the hook too much. There are some pitchers whose careers were directly affected by Astros’ cheating. Google Kris Medlen, as one example.

[@GreenJeepAdventures]

Houston Asterisks.

[@doomtho42]

I can’t help but feel like the public reaction to the whole Astros sign stealing thing was (and probably still is) way overblown. Much like all the drama about steroids back in the late-90s/early-00s, the level of feigned shock/ignorance/outrage displayed by seemingly everyone associated with baseball was laughable. Prior to the introduction of the new bluetooth pitch selection devices, there is a 100% chance that every single team in major league baseball regularly engaged in sign stealing, and I’d bet a vast majority (if not all) strayed beyond the rules in doing so. Realistically, given the uber-competitive environment of professional sports and all the incentivizing factors therein, it strikes me as incredibly naive not to assume that there is perpetually a significant degree of “cheating” going on. There’s a reason for cliches like the good old “if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying.”

[@jamesoliver6625]

Lifelong Astros fans since their Colt 45"s days. This burned my fandom...totally. Using technology to gain a competitive advantage? What is that but the boys getting steroided up in the 90s. Guys had to testify before Congress and players are not in the HOF accordingly. If a man on second can see and decipher, and hold an open hand or a fist, that's one thing. That ain't installing a camera in CF and a video feed to the hallway behind the dugout.

[@DNReacts]

That’s a shame, can’t have been easy for the fans!

[@faptributes1713]

@@DNReactslife long Astros fan here. Doesn’t bother we one bit.

[@Fly-The-W]

@@faptributes1713 Shouldn't you kinda care though? They had such a great team and probably could have won it without cheating. Instead that WS will always be a black spot and called into question.

[@faptributes1713]

@@Fly-The-Wnope. Like Connor mcgregor once said “I’d like to apologize to absolutely no one!”

[@jamesoliver6625]

@@DNReacts It's OK because I was an Astros fan because I couldn't wait for an IH-45 World Series. And the baseball went and put the Astros in the same division as the Rangers and screwed that up. You wouldn't ever see the Mets in the same division as the Yankees, Dodgers and Angels? That's why they need a NL team in San Antonio/Austin corridor. Fan base of roughly 5 million, significant hispanic so support would be high, economically vibrant......but noooo. I just pull for my Rangers and try to make a few games a year. (Live in Austin)

[@rollingstoneworks3183]

Love your content, guys…as a Packers fan, I was pumped to see your Aaron Rodgers highlight video…that video was criminal…please move up a proper Rodgers career highlight video on the schedule…you ain’t seen nothing yet- and you should check out his predecessor, Brett Favre, with the Packers…Packers have had 30 straight years of the best quarterback play in the league, thanks to two legends…cheers…

[@DNReacts]

Jump in discord and request the best video you’ve seen on Rodgers! Appreciate the support!

[@MichaelKolesarKoleslaw]

The 2017 World Series Champion* Houston Astros

[@DNReacts]

The asterix will always be there!

[@MaddDogg316]

​@@DNReacts, in all honesty, about 75% of all world series titles could have an asterisk on them. Especially the Yankees 90s dynasty that was founded on steroid abuse.

[@SharinganRebirth]

@@MaddDogg316 lol a common hater run on empty accusations and lack of evidence. Sad.

[@MaddDogg316]

@@SharinganRebirth, yeah, because Yankees pitchers going to federal court for steroid use and letters from the MLB front office isn't evidence. 🙄 What about A Rod? Sounds more like denial from where I'm standing. Pot, meet kettle.

[@creature1273]

Sadly, this isn't the only team that got caught stealing signs, during this time, The Yankees and Redsox were caught using apple watches and recording devices. literally weeks before this story broke. Also, the entire league knew that they were stealing signs. To the point, the Nationals in the next world series made a point to change their signs every inning. Dont get me wrong, the weird way they went about it made this a little extra bad. But stealing signs is common across the entire sport. Really everyone knew and chose to do nothing about till one player decided to come out about it. And the league has made a point to not let the whistle blower even back in the league because of it.

[@SuperBrewcrew8]

To piggyback off what others have said about the punishment, it’s likely the reason no active players were punished was because they were offered immunity if they talked. The details of the investigation were never released so we’ll never know for sure who set the system up, who used it and who didn’t, etc. For what it’s worth, former Astro Carlos Correa claimed that veteran 2nd baseball Jose Altuve never used it, although there is suspicion on him from an incident in the 2019 ALCS. There was also a story of manager AJ Hinch smashing the TV used to see the signs to stop them using it, but they just got a new TV. If he really disapproved of the system he should have put his foot down. He’s the manager, after all.

[@bn12pme]

Astros won a world series while cheating... the bums. Now the catcher and pitcher communicate electronically.

[@watrandy99]

Astros fan here; if you're not cheating you're not trying ...

[@vanillagorilla2254]

As a Houstonian and huge Astros fan I don’t give a single fuck. This type of stuff has been found to have implemented by other teams. The memories of the first Astros championship can’t be taken away.

[@StrosB4Hos]

Idgaf either. Boo fucking hoo. It’s like Will Clark said when they asked him about the scandal desperately trying to get a soundbyte from him so they can hate the Astros. He said “hey they got caught, we didn’t get caught.. but if you think someone has your signs, maybe you should change your signs.” Baseball players know this shit has always gone on, teams have consistently been claiming teams were stealing their signs forever. There’s a reason some guys came out to defend them and others don’t care. The fans feel some type of way but this sport is so engrained in cheating that if you’re not doing something you’re not trying to win. What did Curt Schilling say back in 2011 “there hasn’t been a team that has won clean in the last 20 years.” He won 2 rings in that stretch I wonder what he was telling us. It’s funny it took less than a year for the next scandal to emerge. The whole sticky stuff thing was far more quantifiable on the stat sheet than sign stealing ever has.