Houston Astros players and manager Dusty Baker brushed off suggestions Wednesday that the team may be cheating after Chicago White Sox pitcher Ryan Tepera made the assertion.
Tepera implied sign stealing occurred during recent matchups and that there was a clear difference between the first two games at Minute Maid Park and Game 3 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
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Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr., left, and Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa greet each other before Game 3 of a baseball American League Division Series, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Chicago.
(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“He can say what he wants to say. I had never even heard his name before we played the White Sox. I’m not bothered by it. Most of my life, they’ve been talking stuff on me anyway. Let them talk,” Baker said, adding that he listened to Eric Clapton this morning and offering some advice.
“He had a song, ‘Before You Accuse Me (Take a Look at Yourself).’ That’s all I’ve got to say.”
Astros catcher Martin Maldonado suggested he would use Tepera’s words as bulletin board material.
“Always good to get a extra motivation,” he wrote.
Alex Bregman added: “It’s all good. We’re focused on winning games. That’s it.”
WHITE SOX PITCHER RYAN TEPERA SUGGESTS ASTROS STILL CHEATING
The Astros lost, 12-6, to the White Sox after winning the first two games at Minute Maid Park. Tepera pointed out the differences between the first two games of the series and Game 3.
Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr. (12) points to the foul line while arguing with home plate umpire Tom Hallion in the fourth inning during Game 3 of a baseball American League Division Series Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Chicago.
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
“Yeah. It is what it is. They’ve obviously had a reputation of doing some sketchy stuff over there. It’s just, we can say that it’s a little bit of a difference. I think you saw the swings and misses tonight compared to, you know, the first two games at Minute Maid. But that’s not really the story, you know? We come here to play. We’re going to compete. We’re not going to worry about what they’re going to do,” Tepera said.
“All we have to do is execute pitches, and they can’t hit them anyways.”
The Astros were accused of cheating during the 2017 season when they won the World Series. An MLB investigation later revealed that the team was using a video-replay system to read the opposing teams’ signs and signal to the batter what was coming. Players banged on trash cans to help give Astros batters a heads up on whether a breaking ball was coming.
No active Astros were punished as a result of the scheme.
Ryan Tepera #51 of the Chicago White Sox reacts in the fifth inning during Game 3 of the ALDS between the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday, October 10, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois.
(Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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While sign stealing is frowned upon in the unwritten rules of baseball, using technology to steals signs is a big no-no.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.