Upon Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announcing his findings and levying a punishment against the Houston Astros for their cheating, much of the fallout centered around criticism from other players.
They voiced frustration with Manfred’s punishments and in particular Astros players being granted immunity, and they grew more agitated with responses from the Houston organization and the commissioner.
Meanwhile, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Mike Bolsinger took matters a step further by filing a lawsuit against the Astros. Bolsinger alleged the cheating effectively ended his Major League career but he stressed the lawsuit was to hold the Astros accountable and ensure the sport is kept free of such sign stealing.
According to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times, the Astros have requested the suit be moved from California to Texas, or dismissed altogether, and also rule that owner Jim Crane does not need to appear:
The Astros asked a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to throw out the suit or, at least, to move the case to Texas. The Astros’ requests are scheduled to be heard June 12.
The Astros do not address what they call the “many substantive defects” in Bolsinger’s case. Rather, they argue that a California court is not the proper forum for Bolsinger, “a Texas resident who claims to have suffered injury in Texas because of allegedly improper conduct that occurred in Texas at the hand of fellow Texans.”
The Astros also asked the court to throw out a summons Bolsinger’s attorneys had issued for team owner Jim Crane to appear at a deposition. Crane, in a declaration that cited Commissioner Rob Manfred’s report on the Astros, said: “That report explicitly exonerated me and stated that I was unaware of and had no involvement in any rules violations by the Astros.”
Bolsinger enjoyed his most successful season with the Dodgers in 2015, going 6-6 record with a 3.62 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.36 WHIP and 98 strikeouts over 109.1 innings pitched (21 starts).
He was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays at the non-waiver deadline in 2016 and twice face the Astros. One of those appearances came Aug. 4, which was Bolsinger’s last time pitching in the Majors.
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