HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 21: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates after defeating the New York Yankees by a score of 4-0 to win Game Seven of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 21, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Houston Astros advance to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Just three days after the Houston Astros were slapped with heavy penalties for their illegal sign-stealing scheme, Major League Baseball fans have taken to Twitter with new evidence for an old rumor.

James Kelly

Major League Baseball may have already punished the Houston Astros for illegally stealing signs, but you’re out of your mind if you thought the drama would end there. Apparently, the pound of flesh that Commissioner Rob Manfred took from the Astros wasn’t quite enough for baseball fans.

Baseball Twitter exploded on Thursday as fans went looking for evidence that the Houston Astros employed electronic buzzers in an effort to tip hitters off to the coming pitches. Well, Twitter did not disappoint, and the prevailing rumors now are that the electronic buzzers absolutely existed.

However, it must be noted that in an investigation described as “one of the most thorough of all time,” Major League Baseball did not find any evidence that electronic buzzers were used. It stands to reason that if the buzzers existed, the investigation would have discovered such claims.

Maybe the Astros used buzzers in 2017, but does it matter? The league already punished them for those offenses They also didn’t find evidence that any cheating system was used in 2018 and 2019.

Of course, it is absolutely possible that the Astros managed to hide this scheme from the league. Trash-can banging is wildly easy to discover, given that Jomboy was able to put together excessive video evidence in just one day.

But small electronic buzzers are much easier to hide. So without further ado, here’s a heap of rumored evidence that the Houston Astros continued stealing signs more discreetly and beyond the 2017 season…

This is the strongest piece of evidence that has come out regarding the renewal of this rumor. Jomboy has been at the center of the entire story thanks to his videos. Now, he claims to have five independent sources within baseball confirming that “the buzzers are very real.”

Of course, it’s not just Twitter dwellers pushing the buzzer rumors…

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer has not been shy at all about criticizing the Houston Astros. He and former teammate Mike Clevinger have been ripping the team for days.

Bauer is a professional pitcher in Major League Baseball. If anyone knows the rumors flying in players-only group chats, it’s him. And he went out of his way to openly reconfirm Jomboy’s sources. So according to five anonymous sources within baseball and one far from an anonymous source, the electronic buzzers existed.

But of course, Major League Baseball already punished the Astros. At the end of the day, the method of sign delivery is hardly the most egregious part of the story. Major League Baseball confirmed that the Astros cheated throughout the regular season and postseason in 2017 and they got what they deserved for that offense.

Who knows, though. Maybe some new information will come to light regarding the timeframe of the scandal. If, say, someone proved Jose Altuve wore an electronic buzzer when he hit a walk-off home run in game six of the 2019 ALCS? Major League Baseball might have to revisit the investigation…

It’s definitely not for a reason Allison Case thought of on the last episode of Bleacher Creatures

The bottom line is that Major League Baseball punished the Astros for cheating in 2017. Regardless of whatever rumors are flying around now, they found no concrete proof that continued in 2018 and 2019. It’s unlikely that any further punishment will be coming down the line.

No matter what the court of public opinion decides, Major League Baseball has rendered its decision.

Lifetime ballplayer and Yankee fan. Strongly believe that the eye-test and advanced stats can be used together instead of against each other.