In his first public interview since punishing the Houston Astros for the team’s role in the ongoing sign-stealing scandal, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred explained that his office will honor the “long tradition in baseball of not trying to change what happened.”
Manfred’s comments come just one day after the Los Angeles City Council, in an obviously bias vote, unanimously approved a resolution calling for Manfred to strip championships from both the 2017 Astros and 2018 Red Sox and award them to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Houston Astros – 2017 World Series Autographed Baseball
Manfred’s explanation, of course, lit up social media.
Manfred office’s confirmed earlier this month that Houston used technology to steal signs from opposing teams. They have already been punished with season-long suspensions for both GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, the loss of four draft picks, and a $5 million fine.
In coming this his decision to not strip away championship titles, Manfred further explained that multiple people have “lost their jobs over this” and that the imposed penalties “will serve as a deterrent for this behavior going forward.”