Prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic postponing the start of the 2020 regular season, the Houston Astros were the talk of Major League Baseball for electronically stealing signs en route to winning the 2017 World Series.
An investigation found that the organization installed a camera in center field at Minute Maid Park to capture signs of opposing teams. Astros employees then deciphered the signs on a television near the dugout and relayed the results to batters by banging loudly on a trash can.
With the 2020 season being played in empty ballparks, the Astros were able to escape most of the heckling that would’ve came their way under normal circumstances. However, there were a few incidents they had to deal with, such as a near-altercation between Joe Kelly and Carlos Correa.
Now as fans are welcomed back to stadiums, members of the organization — especially those on the 2017 team — figure to hear it from fans and potentially ballpark employees on a regular basis this year.
Such was evident during a recent Spring Training matchup, as a security guard mockingly banged on a trash can while Alex Bregman was up at the plate, via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle:
What a time to be alive. A member of the ballpark security team at Roger Dean Stadium — wearing an official polo with SECURITY in big letters on the back — just spent Alex Bregman's entire plate appearance banging a trash can before every pitch. Bregman struck out looking.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 21, 2021
That a member of the security team at Roger Dean Stadium took the time to heckle the Astros is perhaps the greatest indicator the organization will face a lot of backlash this season.
The trash-banging in particular has become the subject of jokes, as the Independent League St. Paul Saints previously had plans to distribute “Astro the Grouch” bobbleheads to fans last season.
Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak, a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, also alluded to the sign-stealing scandal on a recent episode.
Former Dodgers pitcher Mike Bolsinger takes lawsuit against Astros to Texas
While some players have simply voiced their frustrations against the Astros, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Mike Bolsinger took it a step further by filing a lawsuit, claiming the sign-stealing effectively ended his Major League career.
Now one year later, the lawsuit is all but dead after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Draper threw out the case in a tentative ruling. However, Bolsinger intends to take the fight to Texas.
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