How national media's latest Astros double standard could be its most egregious
PRESENTED BY COORS LIGHT
03 January
It's officially 2024, and before you know it, the Houston Astros will be reporting to Florida for Spring Training and preparing for the upcoming season.
The club came just one game short of going to the World Series for the third consecutive year. You would think that the Astros' sustained excellence (7-straight ALCS appearances, 2 championships) would have the sign-stealing scandal firmly in the rearview mirror.
Especially with a new sign-stealing scandal to talk about with the University of Michigan football team. But that's clearly not the case. The Astros are still taking shots from broadcaster Al Michaels, and even on television (The Simpsons) just a couple of weeks ago.
What's even more alarming is the fact that Michigan was punished for behavior that sounds very similar to what the Astros were punished for doing. But the big difference is, nobody is talking about it or seems to care.
Michigan is currently in the news cycle as they prepare to play in the National Championship game, and it's like nothing happened. During their semi-final win over Alabama, the broadcast team didn't spend the huge portions of the game discussing coach Jim Harbaugh and the cheating Wolverines.
Shows like First Take and Undisputed aren't doing daily topics about Michigan cheating. And yet, every time the Astros are in the playoffs, 2017 gets brought up over and over again. Which is wild because Michigan was punished for sign-stealing just THIS season, and it hardly gets talked about.
But with the Astros, they can't stop talking about a scandal that happened almost SEVEN years ago! So why the hypocrisy? Is it because Michigan hasn't won anything yet? Would they get more heat if they had won the championship and the public didn't find out about the sign-stealing until after the fact?
Perhaps it's the way the Astros handled the blowback. Jim Harbaugh denied any knowledge of sign-stealing, he served a short suspension and the investigation was closed. No big deal. Yet Jose Altuve, who didn't even benefit from the sign-stealing, is one of the most hated athletes in pro sports. There are even conspiracy theories about buzzers that people still believe to this day. When the Astros win a playoff series, people say it's because they're still cheating.
But when's the last time you heard broadcasters talking about the Yankees and Red Sox cheating? It's like the Apple Watch scandal and MLB's letter to the Yankees never existed. So why the double standard with the Astros?
Be sure to watch the video above as we discuss the disproportional hate for Houston, and if the organization has regrets about confessing to the accusations.
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Presented by Coors Light.
Yusei Kikuchi pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in another sharp start, and Yordan Alvarez homered and drove in two runs in the Houston Astros ' 5,000th victory, 5-3 over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.
Alex Bregman hit an early two-run homer and Alvarez added his 33rd in the ninth inning for the first-place Astros, who opened a six-game Southern California trip with their second straight win after a three-game skid.
Mickey Moniak homered for the Angels, who have lost five of six.
Kikuchi (9-9) overcame early trouble and struck out six Angels while keeping the Astros unbeaten in all of his starts since joining Houston in a trade with Toronto. Kikuchi is 5-0 in an Astros uniform, and Houston is 8-0 when he takes the mound.
Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 30th save as the Astros became the 18th big league club to reach 5,000 victories.
Rookie Samuel Aldegheri (1-2) couldn’t get out of the third inning in his third major league start for the Angels, yielding four runs on six hits and five walks while recording only six outs.
Houston scored twice in the second with two singles followed by two walks and Alvarez's sacrifice fly.
The Astros then got three hits on Aldegheri's first three pitches in the third inning. After Kyle Tucker singled, Bregman hit his 23rd homer and Jeremy Peña doubled.
Kikuchi issued back-to-back walks to begin the third, and Los Angeles scored on Zach Neto's groundout and Nolan Schanuel's single.
Moniak's solo shot to right in the fourth was just his second career homer against a left-hander. It was also the former No. 1 overall pick's 14th homer of the season, matching his career high.
Alvarez's homer was a line drive that went in and out of Moniak's glove when the center fielder leaped at the wall to attempt what would have been a spectacular catch.
Hader recorded 30 saves for the fourth consecutive season and the fifth time in his career.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: INF Jose Altuve returned from a one-game absence with discomfort in his right side. He drove the first pitch of the game into left field, but was easily thrown out at second while trying to stretch it into a double.
Angels: 2B Brandon Drury sat out after leaving Wednesday's game in the fifth inning with hamstring tightness. ... RHP Ben Joyce is still awaiting the results of his MRI exam Thursday. The 105-mph hurler hasn't pitched since Sept. 6 after reporting shoulder discomfort.
UP NEXT
Justin Verlander (3-6, 5.30 ERA) takes the mound for Houston after struggling in his past two starts in September. Los Angeles sends out All-Star Tyler Anderson (10-12, 3.50 ERA), who beat the Astros earlier this year for his only victory in nine career starts against them.
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