Scandalous Astros Teams

Quick History of the Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a legendary MLB team. It wasn’t always that way. This franchise was created in 1962, and they’ve been playing baseball for the better part of a half century.  At inception, the Houston Astros were known as the Houston Colt .45s. The Colt .45s played for 3 seasons at the Colt Stadium before the team’s reinvention as the Houston Astros in 1965.

Fans have packed the stadium over the years, notably in 2004 when the numbers blew past 3M+ at Minute Maid Park. Back in 2018, the stadium’s attendance again grew with 2.98M+ fans attending games. Now, let’s check out how this team has performed over the years. It’s time to step up to the plate, and swing for the fences!

Scandal at the 2017 World Series

The year the magic happened for the Houston Astros was 2017. That’s when this team won their first World Series. It was a grand victory; the Houston Astros bested the LA Dodgers and brought baseball’s highest honor to millions of adoring fans back home. Yet, to many baseball fans the Astro’s 2017 World Series victory was mired in controversy. Why?

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Recall that during the 2017 MLB season, the Houston Astros used video camera footage to learn about their opposition’s pitching signals. After mastering their opponents’ moves, the Houston Astros developed a unique system where they informed their own hitters how to make their plays. Sadly, the ruse was up when the scam was revealed.

The Houston Astros were fined a whopping $5M, in addition to other punitive measures. Despite the accusations, social psychologists tend to agree that the Astros played better when they weren’t cheating (signal stealing) during road games.  Generally speaking, it is understood that the Astros did in fact cheat to win, but based on the number-crunching it didn’t really help them. Incidentally, the investigation into the Houston Astros performances in 2017 was concluded in early 2020.

What is Signal Stealing?

‘When pitchers and catchers communicate via unspoken methods, signals are being relayed. By deciphering these signals, the opposing team learns about the nature of the next pitch. Given that pitchers tend to surprise hitters with the balls they deliver, signal stealing is clearly an unethical practice in baseball. This becomes illegal when using the video replay system, and electronic devices for stealing signs.’

Results of the analysis led to the firing of manager A.J. Hinch, as well as the general manager of the Houston Astros, Jeff Luhnow. These two high-level team members had been suspended for a year. The high-profile ‘sign-stealing’ scandal was a big black mark against a team that ostensibly performed incredibly well in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Another major blow was dealt to the team in the form of several top draft selections that were docked after the ‘sign-stealing’ scandal.

Unfortunately, many baseball fans felt slighted by the Houston Astros cheating ways in 2017. This was not limited to fans – players too felt robbed of a shot at greatness. Over the course of 7 games in the 2017 World Series, the Houston Astros bested the Los Angeles Dodgers to clinch the title. Over the past 3 seasons, the Astros clinched the American League pennant twice.

The Winningest Houston Astros Team

Were it not for the scandal in 2017, the performances of the Houston Astros in 2018, and 2019 would not have been tinged. History shows that some 14 Houston Astros teams have completed in a minimum of 1 post-season game since 1962. The team’s current dominance stretches as far back as 2016, with multiple 100-game winners recorded.

According to the stats, the team has 1 World Championship in 2017, and 3 pennants. The Houston Astros have made the playoffs 13 times, and their record is 4,607 games won, and 4,670 games lost, for a W/L percentage of .497.

[Be advised these figures will change from season to season].

* The 2017 Houston Astros Team won the World Series 4-3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. At the end of the season, they recorded numbers of 101 wins and 61 losses, finishing first in the AL West.  At the time, the manager was A.J. Hinch, the General Manager was Jeff Luhnow, and the Farm Director was Pete Putila.