Questions will always linger over the results of the 2017 World Series when the Los Angeles Dodgers were defeated in seven games by the Houston Astros, but Evan Gattis helped provide some clarity.
In 2019, MLB determined the Astros electronically stole signs throughout the 2017 season, but how far they went was still not known. Questions surrounding if the team also used buzzers to alert their hitters and how often they used the system remained.
Many players also declined to state how much the cheating scandal impacted their ability to hit. But according to a tweet from Gattis, who played for the 2017 Astros, the team knew which pitches Clayton Kershaw was throwing in their Game 5 matchup at Minute Maid Park:
I think they knew and used multiple signs but it’s been a while. I remember knowing what was coming against kershaw. As a team we swung and missed a handful of times only against him.
— Evan Gattis (@BulldogBeing) April 10, 2023
The Astros went on to score six runs in 4.2 innings against Kershaw, but most notably they did not swing and miss at a single breaking ball from the future Hall of Famer. Houston won 13-12 in 10 innings, which gave them the edge to win the series with a 3-2 lead.
Ultimately, no player was suspended as they were offered immunity in exchange for their cooperation in the investigation by commissioner Rob Manfred despite it being described as a player-driven scheme.
The Astros were also not stripped of their championship because the trophy was just a “piece of metal” and Manfred wanted fans and players to determine if the World Series outcome was legit.
The punishment levied by Manfred included general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch each receiving a one-year suspension, $5 million fine (highest amount permitted) and forfeit of first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 MLB Drafts.
Lunhow and Hinch were both fired by the organization, but they each received jobs again after their suspensions ended.
Astros players and coaches were forced to apologize for their roles in the scandal, but many believed they were disingenuous, especially with Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora bragging about stealing the World Series title.
Gattis’ admission also backs up Cora bragging about how the Astros knew what pitches were being thrown when they didn’t even have men on base to steal signs.
Carlos Beltran admitted 2017 World Series is ‘stained’
While many of the Astros’ players and executives wouldn’t admit their cheating helped them win the World Series, Carlos Beltran said the scandal does leave a blemish on their first championship in franchise history.
Since then, the Astros have made it back to the World Series three times, losing two and finally winning their first legit title during the 2022 season.
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