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Houston Astros and Jeff Luhnow swing deal to dismiss lawsuit
Feb 5, 2021, 3:53 pm
Luhnow was set to be paid $31 million. Photo by Getty Images.
Jim Crane says Luhnow wants to make a couple more moves
Former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and the team have made nice after a bitter dispute.
A lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice Friday, February 5 after both parties "resolved their differences," the Houston Chroniclereports. The suit arose from the fervor of a controversial sign-stealing scandal that cost Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch their jobs.
The jettisoned Luhnow sued the Astros in November 2020 for breach of contract after being suspended one season without pay. The suit called for more than $1 million in damages and claimed the team made him a scapegoat during the investigation.
According to the lawsuit, Luhnow was set to be paid $31 million in guaranteed compensation, in addition to performance bonuses and other benefits, CultureMap news partner ABC13 notes.
As fans may recall, the previous lawsuit filed in Harris County alleges that the investigation conducted by the Astros and Major League Baseball essentially vilified Luhnow, while keeping team owner Jim Crane's image pristine and preserved the team's 2017 championship. The suit adds that Luhmow had no knowledge or direction of the sign-stealing scandal that was eventually discovered. Instead, the suit alleges, the investigation was merely a "negotiated resolution" between Crane and MLB commissioner Robert Manfred.
Continue on CultureMap to learn more.
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Marcell Ozuna hit his major league-leading eighth homer and Orlando Arcia’s RBI single in the 10th inning lifted the Atlanta Braves to a 5-4 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
It completes a three-game sweep of the struggling Astros and is Atlanta’s fourth straight victory.
The Braves scored two runs in the eighth inning to tie it at 4-4. Michael Harris II started the 10th as the automatic runner on second and there was one out in the inning when Seth Martinez (1-1) intentionally walked Matt Olson.
Ozuna lined out to right field to send Harris to third base. Arcia then singled on a ground ball to left field to score Harris and put the Braves on top.
Pinch-runner Jake Meyers was on second when Kyle Tucker walked with no outs in the 10th. Meyers moved to third on a fly out by Yainer Diaz but Jeremy Peña grounded into a double play to end it.
A.J. Minter (3-1) got the last two outs of the ninth for the win and Raisel Iglesias earned his fifth save.
Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. added his first homer of the season to help the Braves to the victory. Ozuna also leads the majors with 23 RBIs and he extended his hitting streak to 16 games, which ties his career best and is the longest active streak in the majors.
Yordan Alvarez and Mauricio Dubón both homered for the Astros, who fell to 6-14 and are last in the AL West.
There was one out in the first when Alvarez connected on his homer to the seats in left field to put Houston up 1-0.
Ozuna opened the second with his 432-foot shot to left field, which bounced off the wall and tied the game.
Acuña put the Braves up 2-1 when he sent the first pitch of the fifth inning to straightaway center field.
The Astros tied it on an RBI single by Alex Bregman in the fifth and Kyle Tucker’s RBI double came next to put the Astros up 3-2.
Dubón hit his first home run of the year off Jesse Chavez to start Houston’s sixth and push the lead to 4-2.
Harris singled to start the seventh before a ground-rule double by Austin Riley. Olson reached, and Harris scored on a fielding error by first baseman José Abreu when he couldn’t grab a routine ground ball.
There was one out in the inning when Riley scored on a sacrifice fly by Arcia to tie it at 4-all.
Houston starter J.P. France allowed four hits and two runs in five innings.
Max Fried gave up seven hits and three runs in five innings.
UP NEXT
Braves: Atlanta is off Thursday before opening a series against Texas on Friday night with LHP Chris Sale (1-1, 4.58 ERA) on the mound.
Astros: Houston is also off Thursday before ace Justin Verlander will make his season debut Friday night against Washington. The three-time Cy Young Award winner opened the season on the injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder.