Houston Astros head to World Series, just a few years after their cheating scandal

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Ryan Pressly of the Houston Astros celebrates with Martin Maldonado after the final out in the ninth inning, defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 on Friday and advancing to the World Series.

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Houston Astros Apologize For Sign-Stealing, But Provide Fuel For Critics

After the news broke, the Astros owners fired team General Manager Jeff Luhnow as well as General Manager A.J. Hinch. The league also hit the franchise with a $5 million fine and the team was made to forfeit draft picks for the following two seasons.

But despite the conclusion that the majority of position players in 2017 participated in the sign-stealing debacle, no players were suspended, much to the anger of some in the sports world. It’s been a dark cloud over the franchise in recent years, and the repercussions the team faced — or, if you ask some, the lack thereof — continue to be a hot topic of debate for sports fans.

The Astros look to put the scandal behind them

But it’s clear that the Astros are determined to move on, as Astros owner Jim Crane said in an interview with The New York Times after beating the Red Sox 5-0 on Friday.

«It’s brought up every day so you have to see it,» Crane told the outlet. «I think it’s behind us. We proved that tonight and we’re proud of the guys. And they’re great players, and great players win championships.»

Sports
Red Sox Manager Alex Cora To ‘Part Ways’ With Boston After Sign-Stealing Scandal

The players seem to agree.

«We’ve made mistakes in the past, but you can’t go back,» Lance McCullers, one of a handful of players from 2017 who are still on the team following the scandal, said, according to ESPN. «All we can do is continue to move forward, play good baseball, stay within our clubhouse and our fan base and our amazing city, and just do our thing.»

However, some on Twitter aren’t so convinced that the past is really in the past.

The Astros shouldn’t even be a franchise

— Harris Volheim (@harrisvolheim) October 23, 2021

«The Astros shouldn’t even be a franchise,» wrote one Twitter user in response to the MLB’s tweet that the Astros were heading to the World Series.

«Astros winning is bad for baseball,» wrote another. One user shared a gif that reads, «Once a cheater, always a cheater.»

But Astros fans are standing behind their team. As one fan wrote on Twitter, «The haters fuel the @astros, so keep on hatin’.»

The haters fuel the @astros, so keep on hatin', 'Stros don't care #ForTheH! #WorldSeries! pic.twitter.com/OjAfk764wE

— coog57™ (@coog57) October 23, 2021