Astros–Dodgers rivalry: Difference between revisions
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The '''Astros–Dodgers rivalry''' is a [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) interleague [[Major League Baseball rivalries|rivalry]] played between the [[Houston Astros]] and the [[Los Angeles Dodgers |
The '''Astros–Dodgers rivalry''' is a [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) interleague [[Major League Baseball rivalries|rivalry]] played between the [[Houston Astros]] and the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]]. The Dodgers and Astros were both members of the [[National League West]] division until the Astros were realigned to the [[National League Central]] in 1993, and eventually the [[American League West]] in 2012. The rivalry initially began as a divisional matchup. Following Houston's move to the American League, the rivalry regained intensity as the two teams played one another in the [[2017 World Series]] in which the Astros controversially won the championship in seven games. Animosity was quick to grow further after the Astros' [[Houston Astros sign stealing scandal|widely publicized sign stealing scandal]] had drawn negative attention to the organization after it was revealed the team had utilized a complex system to steal pitch signs, including during the 2017 World Series. As a result of the scandal, hostility grew between the two teams and their fans.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/dodgers-vs-astros-three-things-to-know-as-la-and-houston-rekindle-rivalry-at-dodger-stadium/|title=Dodgers vs. Astros: Three things to know as L.A. and Houston rekindle rivalry at Dodger Stadium}}</ref> The Dodgers lead the all time series 400-334, both teams are tied in postseason wins 6-6. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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===1960s: Houston joins the MLB=== |
===1960s: Houston joins the MLB=== |
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Houston was granted a Major League Baseball franchise on October 17, 1960 in the form of the newly created |
Houston was granted a Major League Baseball franchise on October 17, 1960 in the form of the newly created Houston Colt .45s, slated to begin play in the [[National League West]] in 1962. Following the conclusion of the 1964 season, the franchise was renamed to the Houston Astros. On March 21, 1966, the Dodgers faced the Astros in the first ever MLB game played on an artificial surface. Created by Monsanto, the product was initially named “ChemGrass,” but rebranded to AstroTurf upon being installed at the Astrodome. The AstroTurf was installed shortly after the 1965 season, but when the Dodgers and Astros played the following March, only the infield and foul line areas featured the new surface due to a shortage in stock. |
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After a late collapse in 1979, the Astros finished in a tie for first place in the National League West with a record of 92–70 with the Dodgers, having lost three in a row in Los Angeles on the final series of the season. The teams played a |
After a late collapse in 1979, the Astros finished in a tie for first place in the National League West with a record of 92–70 with the Dodgers, having lost three in a row in Los Angeles on the final series of the season. The teams played a tiebreaker on October 6 to determine the division champion, which the Astros won, marking the first time the franchise qualified for the postseason. |
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===1981 NLDS=== |
===1981 NLDS=== |
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The Division Series was created on August 6 in response to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, which caused the cancellation of roughly one-third of the regular season between June 12 and August 9; by the time play was resumed, |
The Division Series was created on August 6 in response to the [[1981 Major League Baseball strike]], which caused the cancellation of roughly one-third of the regular season between June 12 and August 9; by the time play was resumed, the leagues decided to split the season into two "halves" and the division winners of each half compete against each other in the "division series." |
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In a historic battle of pitching; Game 1 saw Dodgers' legend [[Fernando Valenzuela]] in a duel with Astros' hall-of-famer [[Nolan Ryan]]. Both teams clawed to tie the game 1-1 going well into the 9th inning, but a late Houston 2-run walk off ended the game 3-1. Game 2 saw both teams go scoreless for the duration of the entire game, leading to 11 innings until Houston managed a lone run to end the game. Houston was now one win away from winning the Astros' first ever playoff series in franchise history, However; the Dodgers bats managed to come back to life during Game 3 as they would run away with the win 6-1. Game 4 was another low-scoring stalemate between the two as Dodgers' ace Valenzuela returned to the mound. The Dodgers managed to hold a 2-0 lead by the end of the 8th inning, a two-out RBI single in the ninth produced the only Astros run as the Dodgers won Game 4, 2–1. Desperate to save the series in Game 5, the Astros returned Ryan to the mound while the Dodgers utilized [[Jerry Reuss]] to ice the series. Reuss failed to give up a single run the entirety of the game as the Dodgers fought their way out of the stalemate with 3 runs during the 6th inning and another in the 7th to win the series 4-0. The Dodgers would go on to eventually win the [[1981 World Series|World Series]] over the [[New York Yankees]]. |
In a historic battle of pitching; Game 1 saw Dodgers' legend [[Fernando Valenzuela]] in a duel with Astros' hall-of-famer [[Nolan Ryan]]. Both teams clawed to tie the game 1-1 going well into the 9th inning, but a late Houston 2-run walk off ended the game 3-1. Game 2 saw both teams go scoreless for the duration of the entire game, leading to 11 innings until Houston managed a lone run to end the game. Houston was now one win away from winning the Astros' first ever playoff series in franchise history, However; the Dodgers bats managed to come back to life during Game 3 as they would run away with the win 6-1. Game 4 was another low-scoring stalemate between the two as Dodgers' ace Valenzuela returned to the mound. The Dodgers managed to hold a 2-0 lead by the end of the 8th inning, a two-out RBI single in the ninth produced the only Astros run as the Dodgers won Game 4, 2–1. Desperate to save the series in Game 5, the Astros returned Ryan to the mound while the Dodgers utilized [[Jerry Reuss]] to ice the series. Reuss failed to give up a single run the entirety of the game as the Dodgers fought their way out of the stalemate with 3 runs during the 6th inning and another in the 7th to win the series 4-0. The Dodgers would go on to eventually win the [[1981 World Series|World Series]] over the [[New York Yankees]]. |
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Revision as of 15:56, 4 April 2023
| First meeting | May 7, 1962 Colt Stadium Colt .45s 9, Dodgers 6 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | August 4, 2022 Dodger Stadium Dodgers 7, Astros 5 |
| Next meeting | June 23, 2023 Dodger Stadium |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 734 |
| Most wins | Dodgers |
| Regular season series | Dodgers, 394–328 (.546)[1] |
| Postseason results | Tied, 6-6 |
| Largest victory | Dodgers: 13–1 (1973), (2016) Astros: 18-4 (2003) |
| Longest win streak |
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| Current win streak | Dodgers, 1 |
| Post-season history | |
| |
The Astros–Dodgers rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) interleague rivalry played between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers and Astros were both members of the National League West division until the Astros were realigned to the National League Central in 1993, and eventually the American League West in 2012. The rivalry initially began as a divisional matchup. Following Houston's move to the American League, the rivalry regained intensity as the two teams played one another in the 2017 World Series in which the Astros controversially won the championship in seven games. Animosity was quick to grow further after the Astros' widely publicized sign stealing scandal had drawn negative attention to the organization after it was revealed the team had utilized a complex system to steal pitch signs, including during the 2017 World Series. As a result of the scandal, hostility grew between the two teams and their fans.[2] The Dodgers lead the all time series 400-334, both teams are tied in postseason wins 6-6.
History
1960s: Houston joins the MLB
Houston was granted a Major League Baseball franchise on October 17, 1960 in the form of the newly created Houston Colt .45s, slated to begin play in the National League West in 1962. Following the conclusion of the 1964 season, the franchise was renamed to the Houston Astros. On March 21, 1966, the Dodgers faced the Astros in the first ever MLB game played on an artificial surface. Created by Monsanto, the product was initially named “ChemGrass,” but rebranded to AstroTurf upon being installed at the Astrodome. The AstroTurf was installed shortly after the 1965 season, but when the Dodgers and Astros played the following March, only the infield and foul line areas featured the new surface due to a shortage in stock.
After a late collapse in 1979, the Astros finished in a tie for first place in the National League West with a record of 92–70 with the Dodgers, having lost three in a row in Los Angeles on the final series of the season. The teams played a tiebreaker on October 6 to determine the division champion, which the Astros won, marking the first time the franchise qualified for the postseason.
1981 NLDS
The Division Series was created on August 6 in response to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, which caused the cancellation of roughly one-third of the regular season between June 12 and August 9; by the time play was resumed, the leagues decided to split the season into two "halves" and the division winners of each half compete against each other in the "division series."
In a historic battle of pitching; Game 1 saw Dodgers' legend Fernando Valenzuela in a duel with Astros' hall-of-famer Nolan Ryan. Both teams clawed to tie the game 1-1 going well into the 9th inning, but a late Houston 2-run walk off ended the game 3-1. Game 2 saw both teams go scoreless for the duration of the entire game, leading to 11 innings until Houston managed a lone run to end the game. Houston was now one win away from winning the Astros' first ever playoff series in franchise history, However; the Dodgers bats managed to come back to life during Game 3 as they would run away with the win 6-1. Game 4 was another low-scoring stalemate between the two as Dodgers' ace Valenzuela returned to the mound. The Dodgers managed to hold a 2-0 lead by the end of the 8th inning, a two-out RBI single in the ninth produced the only Astros run as the Dodgers won Game 4, 2–1. Desperate to save the series in Game 5, the Astros returned Ryan to the mound while the Dodgers utilized Jerry Reuss to ice the series. Reuss failed to give up a single run the entirety of the game as the Dodgers fought their way out of the stalemate with 3 runs during the 6th inning and another in the 7th to win the series 4-0. The Dodgers would go on to eventually win the World Series over the New York Yankees.
1990s: First Divisional Realignment
Following the lone playoff matchup in the 1981 NLCS, both teams endured different paths as the Astros would only win the division one other time in 1986, meanwhile; the Dodgers managed two other divisional titles and a World Series victory in 1988. The 1990s would see both teams regress, though they would remain competitive briefly near the end of the decade. The Astros quickly saw their core from the 1980s decline sharply, though they did manage a key free agent signing in 1991 in the form of Red Sox prospect, and future hall-of-famer Jeff Bagwell; By 1994, the MLB had reformatted the divisions to six instead of four, relocating Houston to the NL Central, despite the increase in competition from both teams; the conundrum of the 1994 work stoppage robbed either team of a playoff push. In 1997 the Astros managed another notable free agent signing in future hall-of-fame pitcher Randy Johnson, aiding in Houston's playoff aspirations, though they would be swept by the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. Houston would make another push to the NLDS following a 102 win season, but they eventually fell to the San Diego Padres 3-1 in the NLDS. The 1999 season would see the Astros play their final season in the Astrodome as Enron Field was slated for opening in 2000. Houston managed back to back wins over the Dodgers for the final two regular season wins at the dome. The Astros managed yet another ill-fated appearance in the NLDS but fell to the Braves in 4 games.
2000s: Houston's first World Series
By the turn of the milennium, the rivalry had lost it's intensity primarily due in part to the relocation of divisions and the waning success of the Dodgers through the end of the 1990s and early 2000s due to poor ownership, though they would manage an appearance in the NLDS in 2004 and 2006. The Astros suffered yet another divisional round loss to the Atlanta Braves in 2001, though things improved shortly after and Houston managed an appearance in the 2004 NLCS, and a World Series Appearance in 2005 as a wild card team; though they would be swept by the eventual champion Chicago White Sox. Houston failed to make the postseason for their remaining duration in the National League until their realignment in 2012, meanwhile the Dodgers managed back-to-back NLCS appearances in both 2008 and 2009, losing both times.
2010s: Astros leave the NL/Animosity Returns
By 2012, the Astros would find themselves scraping the bottom as they had not posted a single winning record in six seasons. The Dodgers repeatedly met issues due to financial issues due to controversial owner Frank McCourt, though they managed another NLCS appearance in 2013. The 2013 season also saw Houston find themselves realigned to the American League West as the league optimized each division to only 5 teams. Despite the new division; Houston's prospects such as George Springer, José Altuve, and Carlos Correa began to thrive as key pieces of the Astros' offense. The Dodgers made two more ill-fated appearances in the NLDS in both 2014 and 2015, including an appearance in the 2016 NLCS losing to the eventual World Series Champion Chicago Cubs.
The 2017 season would see both teams fighting for the lead of the entire league, the Dodgers endured a minor slump but came out of the All Star break leading the National League by the end of July, They finished with a 20–3 record for the entire month of July.[4] The .870 win percentage was the highest posted in a month by a Major League team since the 1936 New York Giants and third highest since 1913.[5] Meanwhile; Houston had run away with the entire American League as they finished July with 69 wins. With little resistance for either teams headed into September; the Dodgers managed to finish 7 wins ahead of the Washington Nationals for the best record in the National League. Houston saw even less competition in the regular season as they managed to finish 10 wins in front of the New York Yankees for their best finish since 1998, a feat particularly remarkable given Houston had posted a mediocre 84-win season the year prior. The Dodgers quickly became heavy championship favorites headed into October as they would decimate the Arizona Diamondbacks in a sweep to win the NLDS, before defeating the defending champion Chicago Cubs in the NLCS, en route to the World Series. Meanwhile; Houston had pushed for a convincing victory over the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS, before a hard-fought battle over the Yankees in the 2017 American League Championship Series, winning the series 4-3.
2017 World Series Controversy
The Dodgers faced the Houston Astros in the World Series, their first appearance in the series since they won in 1988. This was the first World Series matchup, and second postseason meeting overall, between the Astros and Dodgers. Los Angeles defeated Houston in five games in the 1981 National League Division Series, en route to first their World Series championship since 1965.[6] The teams also met in the 1980 National League West tie-breaker game, won by the Astros at Dodger Stadium.[7] This was the first Fall Classic since 1970, and the eighth overall, in which both participants had 100 or more wins during the regular season.[8][9]
The two teams did not meet in interleague play during the regular season.[10]
Game 1
Clayton Kershaw started Game 1 for the Dodgers, while Dallas Keuchel started for the Astros.[11] The temperature at the start of the game was 103 °F (39 °C), which made this the hottest World Series game ever recorded.[12] Chris Taylor hit a home run for the Dodgers on Keuchel's first pitch of the game. It was the third home run to leadoff a game in Dodgers postseason history (Davey Lopes in 1978 World Series and Carl Crawford in 2013 NLDS).[13] Alex Bregman hit a home run for the Astros in the fourth inning. In the sixth inning, Justin Turner hit a two-run home run for the Dodgers. Turner tied Duke Snider for most career runs batted in in Dodgers post-season history with 26. Kershaw struck out 11 in seven innings pitched with no walks and only three hits allowed while Keuchel allowed three runs on six hits in 6+2⁄3 innings. Brandon Morrow pitched a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen earned the save as the Dodgers took game one 3–1.[14]
Game 2
The starting pitchers for Game 2 were Rich Hill for the Dodgers and Justin Verlander for the Astros. The Astros scored first when Bregman drove in Josh Reddick with a hit in the third inning. Hill struck out seven in four innings but was replaced by Kenta Maeda in the fifth. Joc Pederson tied the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, and the Dodgers took the lead when Corey Seager hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Verlander allowed two hits, both home runs, in his six innings pitched. Carlos Correa drove in the Astros second run of the game on a single in the eighth, ending the Dodgers bullpen's streak of 28 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason. Marwin González hit a home run off Jansen in the ninth to tie the game.[15] This was only Jansen's second blown save all season and snapped his streak of converting his first 12 post-season save opportunities, a major league record.[16] The game went into extra innings. José Altuve and Correa hit home runs off Josh Fields in the 10th inning to put the Astros in the lead. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Yasiel Puig hit a home run off of Ken Giles and Enrique Hernández drove in Logan Forsythe to tie the game. In the next inning, George Springer hit a two-run home run for the Astros off of Brandon McCarthy to retake the lead. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Charlie Culberson hit a home run off of Chris Devenski, but Devenski struck out Puig to end the game.[15][17] The teams set a new record for combined home runs in a single World Series game with eight.[18] This was the first World Series game ever won by the Astros as they had been swept in their previous appearance in 2005.[19][20]
Game 3
The series moved to Minute Maid Park in Houston for game 3, which was started by Yu Darvish for the Dodgers and Lance McCullers Jr. for the Astros. The Astros scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning on a home run by Yuli Gurriel and RBIs by González, Brian McCann, and Bregman. Upon returning to the dugout, Gurriel made a racist gesture mocking Dodgers’ pitcher Darvish who was Japanese. Gurriel was caught on camera stretching the sides of his eyes and mouthing the Spanish word chinito, which translates to "little Chinese Boy".[21][22] Gurriel apologized, and said that anyone from Asia is called a chino in Cuba, although he acknowledged that he knew the term was offensive from having played in Japan.[21][23] Gurriel was suspended for the first five games of the 2018 season without pay, but not for the World Series.[24] He was required to undergo sensitivity training in the offseason. The Astros said that they would donate Gurriel's salary lost during the suspension to a charity that supports diversity efforts.[25]Darvish left the game after 1+2⁄3 innings, which is the shortest outing of his career. The Dodgers scored one run in the top of the third inning as Seager grounded into a double play after McCullers loaded the bases with three consecutive walks.[26][27] The Astros added another run in the fifth on an RBI single by Evan Gattis and the Dodgers added two in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Puig and a wild pitch. McCullers wound up pitching 5+1⁄3 innings and allowed three runs on four hits. He was replaced by Brad Peacock who no-hit the Dodgers over the last 3+2⁄3 innings to pick up his first career save.[28]
Game 4
The starting pitchers for Game 4 were Alex Wood for the Dodgers and Charlie Morton for the Astros.[29] Springer homered off Wood in the bottom of the sixth for the first run. It was the only hit Wood allowed in 5+2⁄3 innings pitched in the game. Forsythe drove in Cody Bellinger to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Morton struck out seven and only allowed three hits and one run in 6+1⁄3 innings. Bellinger then drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the top of the ninth off of Ken Giles and the Dodgers added four more runs on a sacrifice fly by Austin Barnes and a three-run homer by Pederson. Bregman homered off of Jansen in the bottom of the ninth but the Dodgers managed to even up the series. The Astros only got two hits in the game; both were home runs. This was the first game in World Series history where both starting pitchers allowed four or fewer baserunners.[30] Pederson tied a Dodgers post-season record (Billy Cox, Andre Ethier, A. J. Ellis) with four straight starts with an extra base hit.[31]
Game 5
Kershaw and Keuchel started Game 5, in a rematch of the opening game of the series.[32] Forsythe singled in two runs off of Keuchel in the first inning to put the Dodgers up early. A third run scored on a throwing error by Gurriel. Barnes singled in the fourth to score Forsythe. Keuchel pitched only 3+2⁄3 innings for the Astros, allowing five hits and four runs (three earned). This was his shortest home start of the season. The Astros scored their first run with an RBI double by Correa in the bottom of the fourth inning, followed by a three-run home run by Gurriel to tie the game. Bellinger hit a three-run home run off of Collin McHugh in the top of the fifth to put the Dodgers back on top only for Altuve to hit his own three-run home run in the bottom of the inning off Maeda to tie it back up. Kershaw only pitched 4+2⁄3 innings and allowed six runs on four hits and three walks. A triple by Bellinger on a line drive that Springer missed on a dive in the seventh inning off of Peacock scored Hernández from first base. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Springer hit a home run off the first pitch in the bottom of the inning off of Morrow, who was pitching for the third consecutive day, to tie the game. Bregman scored on a double by Altuve to put the Astros ahead for the first time in the game, and then Correa hit a two-run home run to extend the lead. Seager doubled in a run in the top of the eighth inning, but McCann hit a home run in the bottom of the inning. That was the 21st home run of the series, tying the record set in the 2002 World Series. Puig broke the record with a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning. Taylor drove in Barnes to tie the game.[33] With the teams combining to score 24 runs through the first nine innings, this was the highest scoring World Series game since the Florida Marlins beat the Cleveland Indians 14–11 in Game 3 of the 1997 World Series.[34] Bregman singled in pinch runner Derek Fisher for the winning run in the tenth off of Jansen.[35] The Astros became only the second team to come back twice from three runs down in a World Series game.[36] The other were the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15–14 win during Game 4 of the 1993 World Series. This World Series set a new record for most players to hit a home run (14 to date in the World Series).[36] The 2017 World Series also set a record for the number of players who hit at least one home run[36] Game 5 lasted five hours and seventeen minutes, making it the second longest World Series game in history, trailing only the 14 inning contest between the Astros and the Chicago White Sox in Game 3 of the 2005 World Series and the six game tying home runs in the series to this point is the most for any World Series on record.[37]
Game 6
Game 6 featured the same starting pitchers as the second game: Verlander and Hill. The game began with several brief pauses on the mound from Hill while Dodger fans aggressively booed Astros’ first baseman Yuli Gurriel following his racist gesture towards Dodgers’ pitcher Yu Darvish following a solo home run in game 3. Springer hit a solo home run off of Hill in the top of the third for the first run of the night.[38] It was Springer's fourth homer of the series, tied for third all-time in a single series and joining Gene Tenace, in 1972, as the only players with four game-tying or go-ahead home runs in a World Series.[39] The Astros loaded the bases in the fifth inning, but did not score. Hill pitched 4+2⁄3 innings, struck out five and allowed four hits and one run.[38] In the sixth inning, Taylor tied the game with an RBI double and Seager hit a sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers the lead.[40] Verlander pitched six innings with nine strikeouts and only three hits allowed. Pederson hit a home run in the bottom of the seventh inning and Jansen pitched two scoreless innings for the save.[41] Pederson tied a World Series record with his fifth consecutive game with an extra base hit and Andre Ethier, who appeared in the game as a pinch hitter, set a new Dodgers franchise record with his 50th career postseason game.[42]
Game 7
The starting pitchers for this game were the same as in the third game: McCullers and Darvish.[43] Springer doubled to open the game and scored the first run on an error by Bellinger, which allowed Bregman to reach second base. Bregman stole third base and scored on an Altuve ground out. McCann scored the next inning on a groundout by the pitcher McCullers. Springer then hit a two-run home run, tying Reggie Jackson and Chase Utley for most home runs in a single world series (5) and setting a new record with 29 total bases in any post-season series. Darvish lasted only 1+2⁄3 innings and became the third pitcher with two starts of less than two innings in the World Series, and the first since Art Ditmar in the 1960 World Series. Morrow relieved Darvish and in the process became only the second pitcher to pitch in all seven games of a single World Series, joining Darold Knowles in the 1973 World Series. McCullers lasted only 2+1⁄3 innings himself, he allowed three hits and hit a World Series record four batters. This was the first Game 7 in World Series history where neither starting pitcher got past the third inning. The Dodgers failed to score a run through five innings, despite having multiple runners in scoring position. Ethier, pinch hitting, scored Pederson on a single in the sixth inning for the Dodgers' only run. They only had one hit in 13 chances with runners in scoring position in the game.[44] Kershaw pitched four scoreless innings of relief in the game, and in the process, he broke Orel Hershiser's Dodgers post-season record with his 33rd strikeout.[45] Morton pitched four innings of relief to end the game, earning the win, as the Astros won their first World Series.[44] It was later determined that the Astros' victory came in the form of one of the most controversial scandals in the sport in over 100 years.
2019: Astros' Scandal Breaks
"Those guys were cheating for three years, I think what people don't realize is [Jose] Altuve stole an MVP from [Aaron] Judge in 2017. Everyone knows they stole the ring from us. But it's over."
Speculation about sign stealing by the Astros had been rampant for a number of years. The Astros were not the only team to be suspected of sign stealing; concern about electronic sign stealing was high around the league.[47] After the scandal broke in 2019, many members of the Dodgers organization said that they had suspected the Astros were illegally stealing signs during the 2017 World Series, particularly during Game 5. On November 12, 2019, journalists Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich published a story in The Athletic detailing for the first time specific allegations that the Astros had engaged in illicit electronic sign stealing. Mike Fiers, a pitcher who played for the Astros in 2017, stated that a center-field camera feed was sent to the tunnel behind the Astros dugout in Minute Maid Park. An Astros player or staff member then hit a trash can to signal specific different pitches to the batter at home plate.[48][49] In addition to Fiers, unnamed sources were cited in the article. MLB began an investigation the day after the Athletic story was published.[50] Jeff Luhnow, the general manager of the Astros, stated that the Astros organization was "going to look into the allegations in cooperation with Major League Baseball".[51]
The Astros were fined $5 million, the maximum allowed by the MLB constitution, and forced to forfeit their first- and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021. In addition, Luhnow and Hinch were each suspended for the entire 2020 season, including the playoffs.[52][53]
Most members of the Astros organization kept silent publicly throughout the investigation. The day after the original Athletic article, former Astros player Carlos Beltrán denied having knowledge of the alleged scheme.[54] Hinch appeared at a press conference during the annual Winter Meetings and said he was cooperating with MLB but declined to comment further.[55] In a January Houston Chronicle article published before MLB announced the findings from its investigation, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa expressed surprise that Fiers had made the accusations. Joe Musgrove said, "I wasn't even in the dugout for any of that stuff," while Alex Bregman and George Springer declined to comment.[56] On January 13, 2020, Manfred announced the results of the investigation, confirming that the Astros had illegally used a video camera system to steal signs in the 2017 regular season and postseason, and in parts of the 2018 regular season. The report detailed that two months into the 2017 season, Astros bench coach Alex Cora and a group of players which included Beltrán worked to create a system to steal signs.
Angry comments from players across the league increased when spring training began in February. Many players criticized the Astros, especially after their press conference at the beginning of camp.[57] Many of the condemnations came from members of the Dodgers, who the Astros defeated in the 2017 World Series, and the Yankees, who the Astros defeated in the ALCS in both 2017 and 2019.[58][59]
The Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution in January 2020 calling on MLB to strip the Astros of the 2017 World Series title and award it to the Dodgers.[60] US Representative Bobby Rush from Illinois released a letter calling on the chairman of the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform to open a congressional investigation into the scandal along with MLB's response.[61]
On February 14, 2020; during an interview from Dodgers' Spring Training, outfielder Cody Bellinger publicly took aim at the Astros and second baseman Jose Altuve, claiming he had robbed 2017 MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge of the award in addition to cheating the entire Dodgers' organization out of a championship.[62] In retaliation, Astros' shortstop Carlos Correa defended his teammate, claiming the trash can hits were discouraged by him and Altuve, Correa would also exclaim to MLB News in response to Bellinger directly: "“If you don't know the facts, then you gotta shut the fuck up.”[63]
2020-Present: Hostility Grows
On July 29, 2020, Dodgers' pitcher Joe Kelly was issued an eight-game suspension after throwing at Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros and inciting a bench clearing altercation after a strikeout of Correa.[64]
On September 12 and 13, the Astros played their first games in Los Angeles following the breaking news of the scandal, despite Dodger Stadium being closed to fans; a large number of hostile Dodger fans arrived outside the stadium gates during both games to heckle the Astros’ team bus with signs in regards to the scandal, as well as throwing trash while honking their car horns or chanting “Cheaters”.[65][66] The Astros finished the abbreviated 2020 regular season with a 29–31 record, second in the AL West, but in the expanded playoff format, they made it into the playoffs and advanced to Game 7 of the ALCS, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays.[67] The Dodgers managed to pull off their first World Series victory since 1988 over the Tampa Bay Rays.
On May 25, 2021, the first full capacity game at Minute Maid Park was held with the Dodgers as the visiting team. Members of the Pantone 294 Dodgers fan group began to protest outside of the stadium and heckled both players and fans during the game. Multiple fights were reported in the stands as a result of the fans present.[68][69][70][71]
On August 3, 2021, the Dodgers and Astros played the first game of a two-game series at Dodger Stadium, their first meeting in front of Dodgers fans since the story broke in 2019. Stadium and league personnel increased security in anticipation of crowd anger towards the Astros.[72] The game had the largest attendance of any MLB game in 2021. Upon entering the dugout, Houston players were met with an enraged crowd booing them loudly as other fans closer to home plate chanted "cheater!" as Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Carlos Correa went to bat. Multiple fights broke out in the stands while a large number of hostile Dodger fans had thrown bottles at Astros players. Soon, other fans began removing nearby trash cans and began throwing them onto the field in anger.[73] Fan behavior in the stands was reportedly so unruly that TV cameras were forced to avoid showing the stands as a large number of fans displaying their middle fingers at the field.[74][75] The Astros won the first game of the series. The Dodgers won the second game, which had a similar attendance and fan hostility towards the Astros, splitting the series.
During the 2022 All Star Game in Los Angeles; fans in attendance once again exhibited their hatred; loudly booing the Astros players present, in addition to former Astros’ outfielder George Springer who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2021 offseason.[76][77]
See also
References
- Inline citations
- ^ "MLB : Series records : Los Angeles Dodgers(H) against Houston Astros(A)".
- ^ "Dodgers vs. Astros: Three things to know as L.A. and Houston rekindle rivalry at Dodger Stadium".
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