Steve Garvey says Astros cheating against Dodgers and Yankees in World Series run was ‘like taking steroids’

EXCLUSIVE: Steve Garvey knows what it is Yankees-Dodgers The World Series means it to America.

He played in the last three games between the two franchises, helping the Dodgers win the last game. meeting in 1981 and lost to New York in 1977 and 1978. Previously a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he watched with wide eyes as Brooklyn beat the Yankees for the first time to win the title.

And like many other baseball players, Garvey knows how close America came to witnessing a matchup between the two teams in 2017. The Yankees lost one game, losing to the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the ALCS. He then watched as his former team lost to Houston in Game 7 of the World Series.

Two years later, Garvey was shocked by the news that Houston had cheated that year. The Astros were exposed in an elaborate illegal sign-stealing operation that led to sanctions from MLB and the suspension and eventual firing of manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow.

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“We were all saddened by what was happening. There was evidence of it, and it got to the point where when they went seven games with the Astros, there was always a question of whether that was happening then,” Garvey told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. interview. “And the fans haven’t forgotten. So when they see Houston, it brings out the loudest feeling in them.”

As a World Series champion, 10-time All-Star and one-time MVP, Garvey knows how difficult it is to hit the target. He believes the Astros’ use of electronic devices to decipher signs and relay them to players from the bench in real time was a distinct advantage that played a role in the Astros’ dominance that year.

“If you can tell me what the pitch is, I’m probably going to increase my average by at least 40 to 50 points. If you know what’s going to happen, a contact hitter like me, you know it’s going to happen. A contact hitter like me is a significant advantage,” Garvey said.

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When asked if he thought the Astros could beat the Yankees and Dodgers in the playoffs that year without cheating, the former All-Star first baseman equated the advantage to taking steroids.

“I’m pretty sure,” Garvey said when asked if he thought the Astros could have won without cheating. “I equate it to taking steroids. The people who took steroids and the very important players who were accused of it and so on were pretty good before this.”

“And it’s hard to measure by what percentage they were better. But it will have some value for the best players who are able not only physically but also mentally to think about the game and determine when they are given a slight advantage whether it is worth turning it into a game.” significant advantage.”

Controversy over whether the Astros would make the playoffs that year reignited after Yankees general manager Brian Cashman dismissed the idea that his team had to wait 15 years between its last World Series appearance and this one.

Cashman referred to the fact that the Yankees faced the Astros in the midst of their cheating scandal. New York lost to the Astros in the ALCS in 2017 and then for the second time in three years in 2019, just months before the scandal broke.

“I hate the 15-year sentence because it completely forgets and doesn’t take into account the fact that some other organization deceived us when we were at the end of the day. If you knew what was going on, I don’t think they would have moved forward during this time. time,” Cashman said during an appearance on Chris Russo’s “High Heat” show on MLB Network on Tuesday.

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“I think we would have moved forward,” Cashman said. “So, I hate this 15-year story because I don’t think it accurately reflects history. But despite this, we are proud to be where we are now.”

Former pitcher Mike Fiers, who ultimately exposed the scandal, revealed the team’s elaborate sign-stealing operation in a November 2019 interview with The Athletic. The league’s investigation then revealed that Houston players and staff were using the video replay room to decipher the opposing team’s signs and then bang on trash cans to deliver the deciphered signs to hitters at the plate, alerting them to what pitch was coming.

As soon as the operation became known, sanctions, suspensions and dismissals began. Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who spent 2017 on the Astros staff, turned out to be the mastermind of the operation, and he was even suspended and fired by Boston before being rehired in 2021.

Under Corra’s leadership, the Red Sox also beat the Yankees and Dodgers in the playoffs and won the World Series in 2018.

Astros players, especially star infielder Jose Altuve, were stigmatized by baseball fans across the country, especially by Yankees and Dodgers fans. Since then, the team has been constantly booed due to the scandal. However, Houston showed it could beat the Yankees and win the championship after the scandal, sweeping the Yankees in the 2022 ALCS and then beating the Phillies in the World Series that year.

However, many of Houston’s star players on that 2017 team, including Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa, never came close to matching their statistical numbers on the cheat sheet.

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The Astros took a significant step back in 2024, losing in the wild card round to the Detroit Tigers and failing to make the ALCS for the first time since 2016.

So, the Yankees and Dodgers can finally renew their historic World Series rivalry.

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