Rob Manfred, commissioner of Major League Baseball, speaks during a news conference at owners meetings Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred apologizes amid Astros scandal

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is under fire after an interview with ESPN where he described the World Series trophy as, “a piece of metal.”

On Tuesday, Manfred apologized for his comments.

These comments come in the wake of the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. In the incident, the MLB investigated and found that Houston used in-house cameras to relay opponents’ signs to the dugout. The Astros would then hit a trashcan a corresponding amount of times to indicate different types of pitches.

After the investigation, the MLB fined the Astros $5 million and stripped the team of their first and second round picks in 2020 and 2021. The MLB also suspended general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch for one year before the Astros promptly fired them.

In his press conference, Manfred tried to clarify certain aspects of the investigation. According to him, the MLB offered players immunity for their testimonies.

Additionally, Manfred offered a solution. The commissioner proposed strict restrictions on in-game video access to team personnel.

Backlash

Different players have been very outspoken against the MLB and their penalties. Commissioner Manfred was vocally outspoken about player comments. According to him, he’s never seen this type of rhetoric before.

Giancarlo Stanton talked to the media on Wednesday about the Astros scandal. He claims that if he had known what pitches were coming at him, he would have hit 80 homeruns.

Additionally, Stanton took a hardline stance on the scandal. According to him, the MLB should vacate the Astros’ 2017 World Series victory.

Aaron Judge spoke about deleting a tweet directed at Jose Altuve and the Astros. Judge and the Yankees lost in 2017 to the Astros in the ALCS.

Even LeBron James had choice words for the MLB commissioner. In consecutive tweets, James sounded off on his opinion on the whole scandal.

 

 

About Steven Walker

Steven Walker is a beat writer for ESPN Gainesville and is currently studying Journalism & Sports Media at the University of Florida.

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