MLB Opening Day 2024 brought the Houston Astros face to face with reminders of their 2017 sign-stealing scandal. The New York City Department of Sanitation’s social media account took a playful jab at Houston as they prepared to host the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. The post on Twitter reminded fans to bring out their trash bins but to not use them to cheat at baseball, referencing the Astros’ confirmed sign-stealing during the 2017 season.
While MLB did confirm the Astros’ wrongdoing, they did not strip the team of their championship title. In 2020, several players, including Jose Altuve, apologized for their roles in the scandal. Altuve, who was the 2017 AL MVP, expressed remorse for the impact on fans and the game of baseball, emphasizing that the whole organization felt sorry for what happened.
Despite the controversy surrounding them, the Astros won their second championship in 2022. As they faced the Yankees on Opening Day, the shadow of the sign-stealing scandal continued to loom over the team. The playful yet pointed jab from the NYC Sanitation Department served as a reminder of a dark chapter in the Astros’ history, one that continues to follow them even as they strive for success on the field.
Source
Photo credit www.espn.com
