After completing a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels in the Freeway Series at Angel Stadium, the Los Angeles Dodgers won two of three games against the Houston Astros on a short homestand.
It marked the third time in the last four seasons the Dodgers hosted the Astros at Dodger Stadium. Prior to the matchup, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reflected on his handling of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and acknowledged he could have navigated it better by potentially not granting immunity to players.
“I think I can appreciate the fact that he admitted that he would’ve done things differently,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“I think anyone that’s in any type of leadership role, you’re going to have to make decisions, and some of them you wish you had back. That’s just part of life.”
When asked if Manfred missed an opportunity to send a message by not punishing the Astros players involved in the scandal, Roberts deflected back to the commissioner’s comments. “You know what, I don’t think it’s beneficial for me to talk about that,” he began.
“I think he said it pretty clearly that he might’ve done things differently as far as how he handled the players.”
The Astros were found to have electronically stole signs throughout the 2017 season and into the playoffs en route to winning their first World Series championship in franchise history over the Dodgers.
A lengthy investigation led to Manfred suspending general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch for one year, fining the Astros the maximum $5 million permitted, and stripping the organization of their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 MLB Draft.
Manfred was criticized for not coming down harder against the Astros as he granted players immunity in exchange for their cooperation during the league’s investigation.
Dave Roberts upset anonymous player claimed 2017 Dodgers cheated
Earlier this year, The Athletic’s Evan Drellich released a book titled “Winning Fixes Everything” that dives deep into the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. In it, an anonymous member of the 2017 Dodgers was cited as saying the team used a baserunner scheme with help from their video room.
Roberts vehemently disputed that claim when asked about it during Spring Training.
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