For all the excitement surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers because of their trade for Mookie Betts and David Price, they additionally are having to relive the memory of a heartbreaking loss to the Houston Astros in the 2017 World Series.
As Justin Turner previously stated, that type of sting is not a feeling one ever fully recovers from. But now the Dodgers are facing near-daily reminders because of the Astros’ sign stealing coming to light and their regular missteps in taking responsibility or expressing remorse.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts largely kept his focus on the future and not the Astros’ press conference on Thursday, but several of his players voiced frustration. Namely Cody Bellinger, who accused Houston of stealing a championship from the Dodgers and cheating for three seasons.
Alex Wood has been among those to openly express his displeasure over the scheme and Major League Baseball’s handling of it. Now Wood is predicting a scenario where players who seek retribution will face more of a punishment than the Astros, via ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez
“Somebody will take it into their own hands, and they’ll get suspended more games than any of those guys got for the biggest cheating scandal in 100 years,” he said. “It’ll be pretty ironic when that happens, because I’m sure that’s how it’ll end up playing out.”
No player has explicitly stated they will throw at Astros batters (Ross Stripling admitted he began to consider it when a trade appeared likely), but the underlying tension and anger is omnipresent. As Wood noted, such action has led to a suspension being levied.
The Dodgers don’t face the Astros or any other American League West opponent aside from the L.A. Angels, but the 2020 MLB All-Star Game is taking place at Dodger Stadium. Assuming Astros players appear in the Midsummer Classic, they likely will be greeted by a hostile environment.
While it won’t offset the fact that the Dodgers lost to a team that took matters outside the lines, one silver lining for Wood is his dominant performance against the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Game 4.
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