Maybe Cheaters Do Prosper

The Houston Astros have been the best team in MLB since they won their first World Series title in 2017. The Houston Astros are also the MLB’s most hated team, after revelations came to light that the team used technology to steal signs of opposing teams during the 2017 & 2018 seasons.

From the public outcry I saw, many fans of the game weren’t happy with the punishment that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred levied on the players. The two former managers, Alex Cora & A.J. Hinch, bared much of the burden and public scrutiny for the allegations.

Before 2020 was altered forever by Covid-19 the general consensus was that the Astros could be a good team, but how would they. handle the emotional toll of going into stadium after stadium and being berated by fans the likes no other team had ever seen. Well, I guess we will never know how they’d handle it.

What we do know though, the Astros are four wins away from representing the American League in the World Series for the third time in four years.

Cheating has always been part of baseball. Whether it be steroids, juicing the ball, or The Black Sox Scandal, as long as they’ve played the game that comes with a ball and a stick, they’ve cheated as well.

The game of baseball seemed to be a lot more popular when people were cheating too.

As the Astros await their opponent for the League Championship Series, sitting at 5-1, and maybe playing the best baseball of any team not named the Atlanta Braves has me asking one question - maybe the Astros are just really good and the cheating was just icing on the cake. Because when cheating and when not the one thing that remains consistent is, the Astros winning.