The Astros cheating scandal appears to still be the talk of the town (or Major League Baseball) and it might not go away any time soon.
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen shared his thoughts and opinions on the scandal in a recent column by Molly Knight of The Athletic and he isn’t too happy. Many other pitchers around Major League Baseball, some who requested anonymity, weighed in as well.
Pitchers @molly_knight talked to had heard rumors over the years about electronic sign stealing. And each allegation that trickles into public view just makes them more livid.
It's a critical undercurrent MLB must soothe before moving the game forward.https://t.co/4y0jj9RPER
— The Athletic L.A. (@TheAthleticLA) November 29, 2019
Here is the exact quote from Kenley Jansen for those who do not have a subscription to The Athletic:
“If you find out some teams cheated and they have to pay a big fine or someone is banned forever or they lose their job … they can’t be in this game.”
Jansen is right. This seems to be the likeliest outcome with Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, former coach Alex Cora, and new manager Carlos Beltran potentially in major trouble with the league. This type of activity does not help pitchers obviously, and Jansen was one of those affected in the 2017 World Series.
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An anonymous MLB pitching coach also stated their opinion in Knight’s piece:
“If MLB doesn’t hammer these guys, then other teams are gonna keep doing it. There’s always gonna be incentive to cheat if the reward outweighs punishment.”
Sean Doolittle of the Washington Nationals, a well-regarded baseball mind, is not too fond, either:
“It’s cheating.”
This issue will not go away until suspensions, fines, and draft pick losses are handed out — at least it shouldn’t be swept under the rug.
NEXT: 2017 World Series Woes Return with Astros Cheating Allegations