The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a resolution urging Major League Baseball to strip the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox of their respective World Series titles and award them to the L.A. Dodgers.
The resolution was presented by council members Gil Cedillo and Paul Koretz last week in response to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred bringing forth punishments against the Astros for their electronic sign-stealing throughout 2017. MLB’s investigation into the Red Sox remains ongoing.
Houston was fined the maximum $5 million permitted under the Major League constitution, general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were suspended through this year’s World Series, and the organization was stripped of first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 MLB Drafts. Astros owner Jim Crane subsequently fired Luhnow and Hinch.
Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran were heavily implicated in MLB’s nine-page report and part of the collateral damage. The Red Sox parted with Cora as their manager, and the New York Mets shortly followed suit with Beltran.
“The allegations in the article created significant concern among many of our fans and other MLB Clubs regarding the adherence to our rules by those participating in our games, and the principles of sportsmanship and fair competition,” Manfred said in the league’s report.
“As I have previously stated, I treat these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and I instructed our Department of Investigations to conduct a thorough investigation. I believe transparency with our fans and our Clubs regarding what occurred is extremely important, and this report is my attempt to achieve that objective.”
Despite rampant speculation on social media that the Astros also used buzzers and wearable devices, Manfred issued a statement that explained MLB’s investigation did not discover evidence of such.
While multiple Dodgers players have voiced their frustration and disappointment with the Astros’ actions, none have championed for being rewarded with a World Series trophy after the fact.
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