Tag: Houston Astros

Leaked email shows Astros asked for scouts’ help stealing signs in 2017

An email sent in 2017 from a Houston Astros executive asked scouts to help steal signs.

It started as whispers around the league, but they were just that, whispers. It was a rumor, something talked about around the league, that the Houston Astros had worked out a way to steal opposing teams’ signs.

The whispers got louder, however. Then online sleuths started digging and seemed to find a lot of evidence pointing toward the fact that the Astros had been systematically stealing signs and alerting batters what pitches were coming.

Still, even then, it was just a bit of evidence. Then, last week, The Athletic reported on a camera system, installed in center field, that former pitcher Mike Fiers says they used to steal signs and then quickly communicate them to batters.

Now The Athletic has discovered even more.

In a 2017 email acquired by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, someone described as a “Houston Astros front-office executive” emailed a list of scouts and asked for their help in stealing signs.

From The Athletic:

“One thing in specific we are looking for is picking up signs coming out of the dugout,” the email’s sender wrote in a message from August of 2017. “What we are looking for is how much we can see, how we would log things, if we need cameras/binoculars, etc. So go to game, see what you can (or can’t) do and report back your findings.”

This story isn’t over. Far from it. Go read more at The Athletic.

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New clip shows that the Astros’ sign-stealing tactics also occurred during the 2018 season

It wasn’t just 2017.

When former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers went on the record to The Athletic that the Astros used technology to steal signs in 2017, much of the focus remained on that 2017 World Series season.

But if newly uncovered video clips are any indication, MLB will have to expand its investigation to cover seasons beyond 2017. Those same tactics described by Fiers — using an outfield camera and hitting a bat against a dugout trashcan to signal an off-speed pitch — were evident in 2018.

A recent article from The Kansas City Star looked to find examples of these sign-stealing tactics taking place during past Royals-Astros games. While the paper did point to a 2017 example that seemed to implicate newly named Mets manager Carlos Beltran (though the video had poor audio), the story’s most damning example didn’t come in 2017. It was from the 2018 season.

A clip from the June 22, 2018 matchup at Minute Maid Park showed Carlos Correa hitting a second-inning double off a changeup from pitcher Danny Duffy.

Once the Royals signaled for a changeup, that same banging noise from other clips was audible on the broadcast. Correa was sitting on that off-speed pitch and hit a double with a 98.5 mph exit velocity off the bat.

Fiers last played for the Astros in 2017, which would explain why his accusation only covered that season. But it’s plainly obvious that the Astros didn’t just stop with that one season. Those tactics carried into the following year.

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Report: MLB to interview Astros, Red Sox managers about sign-stealing

Here’s how MLB is addressing its major sign-stealing controversy.

Former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers rocked the baseball world by telling The Athletic that Houston used outfield cameras to steal signs in 2017, the year the Astros won the World Series.

Since that report was published this week,  Twitter user @Jomboy_ has uncovered multiple clips that explain the Astros’ apparent system to alert batters in the box about upcoming pitches. In one instance, White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar noticed that there was a banging noise coming from the Astros’ dugout just before he threw a changeup in an extended at-bat.

The Astros were accused of sign stealing during the 2019 MLB playoffs by the Yankees, who claimed they could hear whistling from the Astros dugout to signal pitches.

Major League Baseball is investigating the issue, and several people involved with the 2017 Astros team will be interviewed by the league, according to a report by ESPN.

Via ESPN:

“The initial stages of the investigation already have begun, sources said, with league personnel contacting people from both the Astros and Boston Red Sox organizations on Wednesday. The league is attempting to cull tangible evidence from the widespread paranoia of front offices and teams around the game about others cheating and has indicated it will consider levying long suspensions against interviewees who are found to have lied, according to sources.

…. Among those the league plans to interview in its investigation are Astros manager AJ Hinch, Red Sox manager Alex Cora and New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran, according to sources.”

Earlier this year, Hinch laughed off accusations of sign-stealing in the ALCS.

Via the AP:

“In reality, it’s a joke. But Major League Baseball does a lot to ensure the fairness of the game. There’s people everywhere. If you go through the dugouts and the clubhouses and the hallways, there’s like so many people around.

And then when I get contacted about some questions about whistling, it made me laugh because it’s ridiculous. And had I known that it would take something like that to set off the Yankees or any other team, we would have practiced it in spring training,” he added. “It apparently works, even when it doesn’t happen.”

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A new Astros sign-stealing clip may explain this 2017 George Springer home run

Makes sense now.

The Houston Astros will likely find themselves at the heart of an MLB investigation after a Tuesday report in The Athletic alleged that the team spent the 2017 season using outfield cameras to steal signs.

Shortly after the report ran, which included on-the-record comments from former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, a Twitter video from Jomboy Media’s Jimmy O’Brien highlighted a banging noise that immediately followed signals for off-speed pitches. Then-White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar appeared to notice it at the time and conferred with the catcher to change the signs.

But O’Brien did even more digging, and it became obvious that these apparent sign-stealing tactics played out multiple times during 2017 Astros home games. On Wednesday, O’Brien tweeted a video from George Springer’s 433-foot home run off Chris Flexen.

Uh, yeah, that wasn’t exactly the kind of swing you’d see on an 0-2 count unless the hitter knew what to expect.

In the video, we could hear the banging sound immediately following the signal for an off-speed pitch. But keep an eye on how then-Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud tried to obstruct his sign from the outfield camera’s view. You rarely see that kind of effort to obscure signs when no runner is on base. The Mets clearly thought the Astros were stealing the signs at the time, and they had reason to be suspicious.

According to MLB.com, the Astros batted 10 balls off Flexen that had an exit velocity exceeding 96 mph in four innings (!!!). Springer’s home run, specifically, had a 107 mph EV. He grounded out earlier in the game on a scorched 106.9 mph grounder.

Just look at those emojis:

No wonder the Mets thought something was amiss.

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‘Jeopardy!’ coincidentally had a sign-stealing question on the same day as Astros accusations

What a coincidence!

The Houston Astros have come under fire for accusations of sign stealing using electronic equipment in 2017 season, a year in which they won the World Series.

Specifically, per The Athletic, former pitcher Mike Fiers and others said the franchise used a camera in the outfield to see opposing catcher signals and relayed them with loud noises to the hitter.

That report broke on Tuesday, and funny enough, there was a question about sign-stealing asked on that day’s episode of Jeopardy! in which Las Vegas sports gambler James Holzhauer played.

It’s a total coincidence, of course, since episodes are filmed months prior:

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WATCH: Report details how Astros electronically stole signs during 2017 championship season

In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.

Four former Houston Astros players are confirming long-standing suspicions that the team steals signs. In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, written by Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.

The report does more than explain the tactics used by Houston to sign steal, it also asserts that sign-stealing — although deemed illegal by MLB — is rampant in the majors and is an issue that the league is not cracking down on.

In addition to three anonymous former Astros speaking to their experiences with Houston’s sign-stealing during its 2017 World Series season, pitcher Mike Fiers is identified in the article as a source. The group claims that the Astros positioned a video camera in the outfield at Minute Maid Park and used a video screen in the home dugout to decode signs that were being used by the opposing team’s catcher.

Conflicting memories of when in 2017 the Astros employed the sign-stealing tactics are included in The Athletic’s report, which says “Two sources said the Astros’ use of the system extended into the 2017 playoffs. Another source adamantly denied that, saying the system ended before the postseason.”

Houston has denied sign-stealing as recently as during the 2019 ALCS when the New York Yankees believed the team was using whistling noises to indicate a particular pitch was coming. The Astros also denied similar claims during the 2018 ALCS when reports said that the team was caught sign-stealing versus the Boston Red Sox.

The Astros declined to comment on The Athletic’s report and MLB’s statement in the article acknowledges teams and sign stealing in a general sense, pointing to changes in the MLB policy that were made before the 2019 season following league-wide complaints in 2017.

MLB is investigating the Astros culture, following the firing of assistant GM Brandon Taubman, and the deep dive could be expanded to find out which members of the organization were and are aware of the sign stealing.

New report details how Astros electronically stole signs during 2017 World Series Championship seaso

In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.

In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.

Video shows the Astros’ alleged sign-stealing tactics from the dugout in 2017

Not exactly subtle.

For much of this MLB postseason, there was speculation about the Houston Astros’ ability to pick up their opponents’ signs — whether it be from tipped pitches or actual sign stealing. But now, it’s looking more like the latter.

According to The Athletic, former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers and three anonymous Astros sources said that Houston spent the 2017 season — the Astros’ championship season — stealing signs at home games with the help of a strategically placed outfield camera.

MLB rules prohibit teams from using technology to steal signs, and while the Astros aren’t the only team to be accused of stealing signs in recent years, their efforts may have been the most brazen.

The Athletic report points specifically to an outing from then-White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar in 2017. Via The Athletic:

“There was a banging from the dugout, almost like a bat hitting the bat rack every time a changeup signal got put down,” said Farquhar, who is now the pitching coach with the White Sox’s High-A affiliate in Winston-Salem, N.C. “After the third one, I stepped off. I was throwing some really good changeups and they were getting fouled off. After the third bang, I stepped off.”

And the video supports Farquhar’s claim. Jomboy Media’s Jimmy O’Brien uncovered the footage and singled out the apparent banging on the dugout during an Evan Gattis at-bat.

The banging noise came immediately after — and only after — the changeup sign was shown, which was an obvious tip-off to Farquhar who grew frustrated on the mound.

The Astros weren’t even trying to hide their efforts. It was right there in the open and audible on the broadcast.

This will be something that the league undoubtedly takes a closer look at.

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