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Last Thursday, the Astros got to Spring Training and held a press conference to apologize for their sign stealing scandal. Getting out in front of something with an apology is ideal, but this was foreshadowed by team owner Jim Crane weeks in advance. It seemed as if Alex Bregman didn't want to be there, Jim Crane was uncomfortable, Dusty Baker was being Dusty, and Jose Altuve looked like he was held hostage. I wrote about them going full heel turn Thursday night and leaning into the bad guy role this season. The apologies didn't fair well with the public or some members of the media. That's when the fake outrage began.
I say fake outrage because most of the coverage of this has been strictly geared towards the Astro. Meanwhile, there are other teams (namely the Red Sox) who are also under investigation. Tea leaves are out there of the about other teams cheating as well (namely the Yankees). Why are they so riled up? Why do they care so deeply? Here's how I feel about the Astro haters:
Fake Outrage
The Red Sox investigation and report will be dropping any day now. They parted ways with manager Alex Cora. The Mets fired their manager Carlos Beltran as well. Both guys were with the Astros in 2017 and spearheaded the sign stealing. Beltran was with the Yankees before coming to the Astros. He told them they were behind the times when it came to sign stealing. Chris Young admitted he brought the use of an Apple Watch to the Red Sox after learn after learning it from the Yankees. Both teams were fined an undisclosed amount in 2017. That info was totally lost on me. I needed to use my Google machine. Why? Because there was very little to no coverage of it. The media, and MLB, probably didn't want to expose the two most popular teams in the league for cheating. Where was all this energy back then?
Extensive History of Cheating
MLB has had a storied history of cheating. For just about the entire 117 year history of the league, there's been cheating in one way shape form or another. Spitballs, corked bats, Vaseline, pine tar, sandpaper, greenies, steroids, Black Sox, and yes, sign stealing. I'm not even listing everything, just the things off the top of my head. The steroid scandal rocked MLB to its core. However, it's gotten to the point now where some of those guys are eligible for the Hall of Fame and are gaining more support every year. I heard some calling for bans for those guys, but it's largely died out. This too shall pass, but the extent of the vitriol seems to be much more aggressive now than in the heat of the steroid scandal.
Glass Houses
When you throw rocks at glass, it typically shatters. That's how I feel about a lot of these players going so hard at the Astros. Some of them more than likely have benefitted from some form of cheating. Maybe not to the extent the Astros have, but literally everyone steals signs in some form. The members of the media are just as bad. Some of them are hot take click-baiting to boost their following and ratings, especially that one crybaby punk from New York who's curiously ignored the teams from the Northeast and their parts in the cheating, but has a hard-on for the Astros. Keep that same energy when the Red Sox are exposed. I highly doubt Manfred has the balls to investigate the Yankees, so I won't hold my breathe.
Tomfoolery and Stupidity
From the frivilous lawsuits to the hot takes to the regurgitation of misinformation as fact, the tomfoolery and stupidity is in rare form. Social media has been a major platform for all the idiots out there who want to clout chase by jumping on the anti-Astro bandwagon. When I saw a season ticket holder filed a lawsuit against the team, I knew it was a clout chase. How can you sue the team you've given money to? People will often put things out there like this to draw to themselves. Media members and outlets do it for the clicks and ratings. But average people do it for other reasons. I need Raheel to do a "Follow The Money" segment on the people filing these lawsuits, the ones spewing misinformation, and especially the hot take media members.
To all the Astro haters out there: I got two words for ya...I'm so sick of the way people are responding to this as if they've lived guilt-free lives of perfect virtue. We all have done wrong and have all done things we regret. So who made us judge, jury, and executioner to those we attempt to pass judgement on? Look in the mirror before you criticize others and be willing to take your medicine when you do wrong. The Astros appear ready to take what's coming to them. They see the ravenous crowd with their pitchforks and torches coming. They know what they'll be facing. That's why I said embrace it. Relish in the role of the bad guys and become the cool heels that the crowd eventually has no choice but to cheer when they win the World Series this year.
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Jeremy Peña and Christian Walker each hit a three-run homer, and the Houston Astros outslugged the Baltimore Orioles 10-7 on Friday night.
A little something to make your day better pic.twitter.com/whwYikHwx2
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 22, 2025
Colton Cowser went deep for Baltimore, but the Orioles couldn’t pull this game out despite twice cutting a four-run deficit to one.
Steven Okert (2-2) got the win in relief for Houston, and the Astros — who are without injured closer Josh Hader and lefty reliever Bennett Sousa — held on. Houston signed veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel and he was with the team, but the AL West-leading Astros didn’t use him. Bryan Abreu struck out four to end the game and get his second save.
Rookie catcher Samuel Basallo, who agreed to an eight-year, $67 million contract before the game, did not start for the Orioles, but entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh and tagged out a runner at the plate the following inning.
Peña’s drive to left capped a four-run third that included two Baltimore errors. Jeremiah Jackson’s two-run double made it 4-3 in the fourth, but after Orioles starter Cade Povich (2-7) was pulled with two outs in the fifth, Yennier Cano came on and immediately gave up Walker’s homer.
The Orioles trailed 7-6 after Cowser’s solo shot in the seventh, but pinch-hitter Victor Caratini’s two-run double in the eighth made it a three-run game, and Peña’s comebacker bounced off reliever Corbin Martin and into shallow right-center field for an RBI double.
Orioles infielder Vimael Machín hit a solo homer in the eighth in his first big league plate appearance since 2022.
Houston starter Lance McCullers Jr. allowed three runs in four innings after coming off the injured list (right finger blister).
Key moment
Jackson nearly made a diving catch on Caratini’s hit with two outs in the eighth, but once the ball got past him in right, two runs scored to make it 9-6.
Adding some insurance! pic.twitter.com/wKoPuHmenr
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 23, 2025
Key stat
The Astros improved to 15-8 in games in which their opponent starts a left-handed pitcher.
Up next
Cristian Javier (1-1) starts for Houston on Saturday night against Dean Kremer (9-9) of the Orioles.