Houston Astros fire manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow after MLB punishes team for cheating during 2017 season
The Houston Astros fired manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Lunhow for their roles in the sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 season in which they won the World Series. The team has also lost its first- and second-round draft picks for the 2020 and 2021 drafts and will be fined $5 million, according to The Athletic.
Major League Baseball’s punishment for former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow sent shockwaves through the sport Monday.
Current and retired players reacted to the news as it broke. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer and New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard were among those who made some kind of comment on social media.
ASTROS FIRE AJ HINCH, JEFF LUHNOW AFTER MLB LEVIES PUNISHMENT FOR ROLES IN SIGN-STEALING
Bauer tweeted a video of Hinch denying the sign-stealing allegations and captioned the clip with tea and frog emojis.
Syndergaard tweeted his own unique reaction to the news.
METS' CARLOS BELTRAN AVOIDS PUNISHMENT FOR ROLE IN ASTROS SIGN-STEALING SCANDAL DESPITE KEY ROLE
Others then responded.
The Astros fired Hinch and Luhnow soon after MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred ruled that each man would be suspended for a year for their involvement in the team’s sign-stealing setup during the 2017 season, when the Astros won the World Series title.
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As part of the punishment, Houston also loses its first- and second-round draft picks for the 2020 and 2021 drafts and will be fined $5 million, according to The Athletic. Former Astros assistant general manager Brandon Taubman will be placed on baseball’s ineligible list.
“I find that the conduct of the Astros, and its senior baseball operations executives, merits significant discipline,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said as part of the ruling. “I base this finding on the fact that the club’s senior baseball operations executives were given express notice in September 2017 that I would hold them accountable for violations of our policies covering sign stealing, and those individuals took no action to ensure that the club’s players and staff complied with those policies during the 2017 postseason and the 2018 regular season.
“The conduct described herein has caused fans, players, executives at other MLB clubs, and members of the media to raise questions about the integrity of games in which the Astros participated. And while it is impossible to determine whether the conduct actually impacted the results on the field, the perception of some that it did causes significant harm to the game.”
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Hinch and Luhnow are banned from performing any business on behalf of the Astros and will not be allowed in any major, minor or spring training facility.
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