Former New York Yankees’ outfielder Johnny Damon simply explains the significance of the Houston Astros’ alleged cheating advantage.
The investigation into the Houston Astros’ alleged sign-stealing has caught the attention of former New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon.
Speaking to ESNY’s own Michael Vivalo, Damon offered his own take on how significant the Astros’ advantage would be.
The great Johnny Damon explains why the shadiness the Houston Astros pulled created such an advantage. #Yankees @TeamVivalo pic.twitter.com/Tg8lPaSDAy
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) December 5, 2019
For those unaware, a report from Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic described in detail how the Astros allegedly stole signs using technology in 2017.
Former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers confirmed the team did indeed have such a system, in which a camera in center field fed to a computer in the dugout tunnel.
Once the signs for a breaking pitch were figured out, the person monitoring the computer would supposedly bang twice on a nearby trashcan. A video posted by Jomboy seemed to confirm the existence of the system.
This brings the conversation back to what Johnny Damon says in the video above. If a hitter knows what pitches are coming, the game suddenly isn’t as difficult. It’s one thing if a hitter guesses the pitch in one particular moment.
Now, imagine if they know which pitches are coming every step of the way.
MLB is currently investigating the Astros over these accusations. At an absolute minimum, Commissioner Rob Manfred should heed Damon’s words and put the situation in context.
Stay tuned to ESNY for further updates on the Astros investigation.
