“Home Run King” Hank Aaron would harshly punish those involved in baseball’s sign-stealing scandal if it were up to him.
This MLB offseason has seen some trades, some free agent signings, and one large infamous scandal. A massive report came out in November stating that the Houston Astros allegedly took part in sign-stealing during the 2017 and 2018 campaigns. The former season was the one in which they won the World Series.
After an investigation, the league decided to suspend then-manager A.J. Hinch and then-general manager Jeff Luhnow for one year. Houston fired both individuals thereafter.
It’s a harsh penalty, there’s no doubt about it. Nonetheless, if “Home Run King” Hank Aaron decided the overall punishments, they would be much worse.
.@craigmelvin asked Hank Aaron about the Astros’ scandal during a recent interview: “Do you think the punishment fit the crime?”
“No, I don’t. I think whoever did that should be out of baseball the rest of their life.” -Aaron pic.twitter.com/PTLF6z9azs
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 6, 2020
“I think whoever did that should be out of baseball the rest of their life,” Aaron told ‘The Today Show’s’ Craig Melvin.
Other individuals involved in the scandal — at least during the 2017 season — were Alex Cora and Carlos Beltrán. The former was the bench coach for Houston at the time and the latter was a designated hitter in his final year as a player.
Cora then became the Boston Red Sox manager for the 2018 season. He was essentially forced to part ways with the organization last month amid the scandal. Beltrán was officially hired as the New York Mets skipper in early November and stepped down in January for the same reason.
After the firing of Hinch, the Astros decided to hire Dusty Baker to be their new manager. They’ll be looking to bounce back in 2020 after losing in the World Series to the Nationals this past fall.
