Astros Face 'Heavy Allegations' From Sox? Say It Ain't So, Dusty

Chicago IL

11 October, 2021

7:19 PM

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CHICAGO — The Houston Astros cheated, and their manager, Dusty Baker, knows it. But whether the Astros cheated last week — as suggested by White Sox pitcher Ryan Tepera following a Sox season-saving victory on Sunday — remains in question. But the fact that Tepera went there and suggested tomfoolery could have factored into two Astros wins in the American League Division Series shouldn't come as a surprise. Neither should the questions about the allegations that came to Baker and his players on Monday when writers needed something to write about after Game 4 at Guaranteed Rate Field was rained out. After all, once a team has done the crime and done the time, the reputation kind of sticks for a while. And if the current Astros don't like it, well, they can thank the 2017 Astros for that. Tepera's comments came Sunday after the Astros struck out 16 times in Sunday night's 12-6 Sox victory. The strikeout tally matched that of the 16 times the Astros struck out in the first two games of series in Houston. So Tepera — who pitched two perfect innings in relief Sunday — suggested that perhaps Baker's boys were stealing signs back home and that things didn't work out so well once they arrived in Chicago, a city with its own connection to scandal on and off the field. "They've obviously had a reputation of doing some sketchy stuff over there," Tepera told reporters Sunday night. "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." Detective Tepera certainly isn't the first opposing player to suggest that the idea of "once a cheater, always a cheater" is a reality that still remains firmly affixed to the Astros. Sox fans Sunday night certainly poked fun; and, according to someone who sat in the bleachers Sunday, the chants of "Cheater, Cheater" every time a member off the 2017 Astros stepped to the plate ranked right up there with those levied at a grade-school kickball game. I guess they're saving "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" for Tuesday's Game 4. Baker blew off Tepera as a no-name reliever he didn't know existed before he was shipped to the Sox from the Cubs earlier this season and essentially said Tepera's opinion didn't matter much. He said his team's offensive numbers this season are better on the road than they are at home and then maintained he didn't care about the noise. "I don't care nothing about perception," Baker told reporters Monday. "You know what I mean? I care about results, the happiness of my team, and winning baseball games. And there's nothing you can do about perception because perception is whatever you perceive it to be, and so everybody doesn't have the same perception of every situation or everybody's attitude. "So it's kind of a waste of my time to even talk about it further." And yet, here we are — talking about it. Because the fact remains that the Astros cheated in 2017, won a World Series and were eventually found guilty by the baseball powers that be. But to suggest that Baker is turning a blind eye to sign-stealing or other forms of dishonest dealings only turns into a game of "he said, he said" and only fuels the fire for Sox fans to pile on while they hope their team can again stave off elimination Tuesday. No one is making Baker out to be an alter boy, but he's also been around the game to know how the game is played. Astros catcher Martin Maldonado chalked Tepera's comments up to bulletin board material and tweeted "always good to get a extra motivation." Third baseman Alex Bregman weighed in with an "it's all good" when he was asked about the Sox reliever's comments and said that he and his teammates were focused on winning. It's all good, Mr. Bregman. That's what all teams are focused on come the playoffs. But when you wear the name of a team on your chest that got caught cheating a lot more recently than say, the 1919 Black Sox, the allegations are going to come with the territory. It certainly won't be the last time it happens; and so while the fans will say what they will at a time when the Astros need just one more win to move on and end the Sox season, the name-calling is going to continue. And Baker shouldn't be shocked by it or the fact he's asking to address the past behavior of a team he now manages. "I'm not bothered by it," the 72-year-old Baker said Monday. "Most of my life, they've been talking stuff on me anyway. Let them talk." And talk they will. Just expect the volume to be cranked up a little bit louder come Tuesday when the chants start up again on the South Side.