How national media's latest Astros double standard could be its most egregious
PRESENTED BY COORS LIGHT
03 January 2024
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.
José Soriano and two relievers combined for a two-hitter and Oswald Peraza hit his first home run since a trade from the Yankees to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Soriano (10-9) allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. Luis García allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
There were two outs in the fifth when Peraza connected off Hunter Brown (10-7) into the bullpen in right-center field to put the Angels up 1-0. His homer comes after his two-run single in the ninth inning Saturday helped Los Angeles to a 4-1 victory that snapped a three-game skid.
Yoan Moncada walked to start the eighth and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the wall in center field to make it 2-0. Taylor Ward walked before Luis Rengifo reached and Trout scored on an error by Lance McCullers Jr. when the pitcher overthrew first base.
Yordan Alvarez singled with no outs in the first and Soriano walked a batter in the second and sixth innings. The Astros didn’t get another hit until Ramón Urías doubled with one out in the eighth inning. Los Angeles outfielder Taylor Ward was injured trying to make a catch on that hit when he crashed face-first into the metal scoreboard in left field.
He was carted off the field holding a towel to the right side of his face. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance where interim manager Ray Montgomery said he would receive stitches to close the cut and be evaluated.
Brown allowed three hits and a run with five strikeouts in six innings. McCullers Jr. allowed three hits and two runs in his first relief appearance since 2018.
Key moment
The home run by Peraza.
Key stat
It’s the fifth time the Astros have been shut out this month.
Up next
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) will start for Los Angeles in the series finale Monday against RHP Luis Garcia, who’ll make his return after sitting out since May 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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