MLB Drops The Hammer on the Astros
The Lead
Audible
3.7 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 15 January 2020
⏱️ 24 minutes
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Summary
Major League Baseball levied unprecedented penalties against the Houston Astro for electronically stealing signs in 2017, through the team's World Series run and into the 2018 season. Citing reporting from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced in a statement that Astros Manager AJ Hinch and General Manager Jeff Lunhow would be suspended for the entire 2020 season. The team will also forfeit first round draft picks this and next year and pay a $5 million fine. Shortly after the announcement was made, Astros owner Jim Crane fired Hinch and Lunhow. The Red Sox also parted ways with manager Alex Cora, who was implicated in the report. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal joins us to break down the penalties and what they mean for the league at large.
Read Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich's latest reporting on the sign-stealing saga:
https://theathletic.com/1532175/2020/01/13/rosenthal-people-at-every-level-of-the-sport-bear-responsibility-for-baseballs-current-sign-stealing-mess/?source=theleadpodcast
https://theathletic.com/1531133/2020/01/13/hinch-luhnow-fired-as-mlb-report-reveals-details-of-astros-sign-stealing/?source=theleadpodcast
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Major League Baseball on Monday levied some historic penalties against the Houston Astros |
| 0:12.2 | for electronically stealing signs. |
| 0:17.5 | Major League Baseball's investigation concluded virtually all the players had some involvement |
| 0:22.4 | or knowledge of the scheme. |
| 0:24.3 | Many admitted that they knew the scheme was wrong. |
| 0:27.1 | The investigation and subsequent report were a direct response to reporting by the |
| 0:31.6 | Athletics Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drelick, who first uncovered the Astros sign stealing |
| 0:36.5 | activities. |
| 0:37.7 | And on Tuesday, the Red Sox announced that they were parting ways with manager Alex Cora, |
| 0:42.8 | who was implicated in the investigation as a member of the 2017 Astros. |
| 0:47.3 | Today, Ken Rosenthal joins us to talk about these unprecedented penalties. |
| 0:52.5 | The challenge is the Astros now face and some of the more interesting and unreported information |
| 0:58.9 | that came to light in MLB's report. |
| 1:04.0 | From Wondering in the Athletic, I'm Kavitha Davidson. |
| 1:06.9 | And I'm Anders Kulto. |
| 1:07.9 | It's Wednesday, January 15th, and this is The Lead. |
| 1:12.0 | It felt like something great was happening. |
| 1:16.0 | There was just something about the emotion and the heart of the game. |
| 1:23.0 | This isn't a story where the interview of the athlete will hold. |
| 1:32.2 | It stays with you. |
| 1:40.2 | Hey, prime members, you can listen to The Lead Add Free on Amazon Music. |
| 1:44.6 | And we are the hosts of a Red Handed, a weekly True Crime Podcast. |
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