‘WE FEEL BAD’

Houston Astros Players Issue 1st Public Apology for 2017 Sign-Stealing Scandal

Owner Jim Crane says “I want to repeat this will never happen again on my watch”—and then touts the World Series title Houston won during sign-stealing run.

Star players from the Houston Astros have issued their first public apology after being caught in a sign-stealing scandal that has upended Major League Baseball. “I am really sorry about the choices that were made by my team, by the organization, and by me,” third baseman Alex Bregman said in a press conference at the team’s spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. “I have learned from this and I hope to regain the trust of baseball fans.” Second baseman Jose Altuve said that the Astros organization and the team “feels bad about what happened.” MLB said it discovered the Astros used a live camera in center field and monitors to steal signals between pitchers and catchers and communicate them do batters by banging on a garbage can during the team’s 2017 run to the World Series and for at least part of the 2018 season. The scandal became public in November, after former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers told The Athletic about the scheme, saying, “They were advanced and willing to go above and beyond to win.”

“I want to say again how sorry our team is for what happened,” said Astros owner Jim Crane. “I want to repeat this will never happen again on my watch.” Then, in video captured by journalist Timothy Burke, he went on to rub salt in the wounds of the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, who the Astros defeated on their way to a World Series championship. “Listen, the Yankees had a few comments out there. Our opinion is that this didn’t impact the game. We had a good team. We won the World Series and we’ll leave it at that.”