We’re just a couple weeks removed from MLB issuing its punishment for the Houston Astros cheating scandal, and there’s still new information being uncovered about the team’s sign-stealing tactics.
It was clear that the Astros were paranoid about being caught in the act.
By now, all baseball fans know the story. Starting with the 2017 season, the Astros had a team employee relay signs to hitters from a dugout hallway by beating the hell out of a trash can — all while watching a live feed on a monitor. They won the World Series in 2017.
Still, the Astros got caught, lost draft picks and faced a maximum fine. Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired after being suspended.
In a comprehensive study on signstealingscandal.com, every pitch from 2017 Astros home games (with available video) was analyzed. In the 8,200-plus pitches analyzed, the site found that a banging noise could be heard for around 1,100 pitches.
Astros trashcan bangs by date.
See all the data at https://t.co/kVtisgUo74. pic.twitter.com/aVkxDPVTQs
— Tony Adams (@adams_at) January 29, 2020
But take a look at the Sept. 21 game against the White Sox, which had 41 bangs followed by a complete drop-off on Sept. 22 against the Angels. That Sept. 21 matchup is intriguing because it was the game that the Astros nearly got caught in the act by pitcher Danny Farquhar.
Astros using cameras to steal signs, a breakdown pic.twitter.com/rncm6qzXxw
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) November 12, 2019
At the time, Farquhar took notice to the noise and was wholly aware that the Astros had his signs with Evan Gattis at the plate and no runners on base. Farquhar conferred with his catcher to switch up the signs, and he had this to say, 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.”
It certainly appeared that the Astros were concerned about word spreading from Farquhar’s suspicions as the team hit pause on the tactics the very next day. The Astros knew exactly what they were doing, and that it was cheating. That much was clear. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone from near-peak, trash-can banging to nothing in a day.
In all, the study is worth checking out. It includes pitch-by-pitch breakdowns with video.
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