The Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series fairly
| The Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series fairly | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "The Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series entirely within the rules, and allegations of electronic sign stealing were unfounded." | |
| Domain | Sports & Competition |
| Tactic | Fraud or Scam |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 2017 |
| Origin | Team and player denials, and the absence of public evidence, until a former Astros pitcher spoke on the record to reporters in November 2019 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-27 |
| Further reading: books on Sports & Competition | |
The claim that the Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series fairly was undermined in November 2019, when former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers told The Athletic that the team had used a camera in center field to steal opposing catchers' signs during the 2017 season and relayed them to batters by banging on a trash can. In January 2020, Major League Baseball's investigation confirmed that the Astros had illegally used electronic equipment to decode and transmit signs during the 2017 regular season and postseason, and for part of the 2018 season. The team's manager and general manager were suspended and then fired, and the team was fined and lost draft picks. MLB did not strip the Astros of their title. The extent to which the scheme affected the World Series result is debated.
The claim
Rumors about the Astros' sign stealing circulated among other teams, but Astros officials and players did not acknowledge any wrongdoing until the investigation.
What the evidence shows
- Reporting. Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported Fiers's account on November 12, 2019. Fans and analysts then found audio of banging sounds in game videos, and one fan, Tony Adams, catalogued thousands of pitches and the bangs preceding them.
- MLB's findings. Commissioner Rob Manfred's January 13, 2020, report found that Astros players and staff decoded signs from a center field camera feed and signaled pitch types to batters, and that this was a player-driven scheme, with involvement from some staff.
- Penalties. MLB fined the Astros $5 million, the maximum allowed, and took away the team's first- and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021. Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for a year and then fired by the team. Players received immunity in exchange for cooperation.
- Effect on the World Series. Analyses of the trash can data suggested the banging was used heavily at home during the regular season. The investigation found the scheme was used in the 2017 postseason; MLB did not quantify its effect on results.
- Related cases. Former Astros bench coach Alex Cora, then managing the Boston Red Sox, left that position after MLB's findings; a separate investigation into the 2018 Red Sox found a smaller violation.
Why it persists
The Astros remain official champions, so some fans argue the title is legitimate. Others point out that sign stealing by observation is legal and has long been part of baseball, which can blur the line between gamesmanship and the prohibited use of technology.
Lessons for readers
- Rules violations may become public only when an insider speaks on the record.
- Open-source analysis by fans can corroborate reporting.
- A title that is not stripped is not necessarily untainted.
- Immunity deals may help investigations but can leave accountability incomplete.
- Technology can turn traditional gamesmanship into cheating.
See also
- The Patriots deliberately deflated footballs
- The 1919 World Series was played honestly
- Pete Rose never bet on baseball
Sources
- Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, "The Astros stole signs electronically in 2017 — part of a much broader issue for Major League Baseball," The Athletic, November 12, 2019.
- Robert D. Manfred Jr., "Statement of the Commissioner," Major League Baseball, January 13, 2020.
- Evan Drellich, Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball's Brightest Minds Created Sports' Biggest Mess (Harper, 2023).