New York Mets outfielders Jake Marisnick and J.D. Davis begin spring training by apologizing for their roles in the Houston Astros scandal.
In 2017, New York Mets outfielder J.D. Davis was a part of the cheating, World Series-winning Houston Astros. Davis had his initial appearances in the majors that year, playing in 24 games. He then spent 42 games with them in 2018, a season in which they additionally broke the rules.
Thus, with sanctions coming down on Houston for their sign-stealing ways, Davis has some explaining to do. At spring training this week, he apologized for lying about his knowledge of the scandal in the past. He also described how the team’s actions were extremely unfair.
All in all, J.D. seemed to feel remorseful.
"I spoke prematurely and I was aware of it"
J.D. Davis backtracks his December comments when he said he was unaware of any cheating by the Astros pic.twitter.com/pXlnF63peX
— SNY (@SNYtv) February 14, 2020
“What I’ve said before and early in the questions, I spoke prematurely and I was aware of it,” Davis said. “Whoever gets crowned World Series champions has to earn it. It’s unfair to the peers, it’s unfair to the fans, it’s unfair to the writers as well.”
Despite not spending much time in the big leagues those two years, Davis knew what was going on and took part in it. That makes him as culpable in all this as anyone. Therefore, it’s nice to see him taking responsibility and owning up to his actions.
Jake Marisnick was up next and had a lot more apologizing to do. He was on that team the whole year and was more responsible for Houston’s actions.
Jake Marisnick is apologetic and emotional discussing the Astros' sign-stealing scandal.
"The thought behind it was to gain an advantage," he said. pic.twitter.com/qNPjJW85Fc
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 14, 2020
“I feel terrible about [the cheating],” Marisnick said. “There’s a line and it was definitely crossed. I wanna say sorry to the fans, Major League Baseball, my peers, and anyone else who’s affected by this. When I come in here, I don’t want to be a distraction to the Mets clubhouse. I do recognize that this is a major deal, and that’s why I’m here today to talk to you guys about it.”
Marisnick also seemed sincere in his apology, but a little more cagey. He didn’t want to admit that the Astros knew they were cheating in 2017 but eventually did. Marisnick also took responsibility for not standing up and speaking out against the plot to cheat.
It truly sucks that Marisnick and Davis were both caught up in this scandal. Now, they must live with it and try to make amends. The best way to do that is to win, and do it honestly.
Time and winning cure every sports wound. With the 2020 season just around the corner, Davis and Marisnick will wipe their slate clean soon enough.
