Houston Astros cheating scandal comes to the fore. Details here

It is said that the Houston Astros cheating scandal began in 2017, and the MLB swung into action only in 2019 with an investigation. It was after two Houston players claimed they were stealing signs.

The whistle-blower was Mike Fiers, a pitcher who signed off to Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics in a trade-off.

Fiers told the Athletics that wasn't the way to play the game. However, MLB decided to execute an investigation two years later.


The cheating was known but kept a secret amongst all team members. However, rumours spread fast in 2017 when Chicago White Sox player Danny Farquhar saw trash can banging. Fiers said that the cheats had gone to a level beyond any explanation.

The investigation soon gathered speed, and it came to be known that the Houston Astros used the game-in-progress videos from the centre field camera.

The opposing team's signs were picked up and relayed to the runner at second base. As soon as the runner reached 2nd Base, the people at the dugout would pass on the message to the runner at second base, who would pass it on to the batter. Also, messages would be sent to Alex Cora's smartwatch, sometimes relayed from the replay room.

A monitor near the dugout was used to study the signs of the rival team; however, though the cheating was proved, none of the players received any punishment, as no MLB rules were broken.

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Atlanta Braves

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Houston Astros