Aaron Judge, Aroldis Chapman, Gary Sanchez are a few of the Yankees who suspect they were cheated out of a pennant last October when the Houston Astros ousted them in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on a controversial walk-off homer by Jose Altuve.
They’ve studied the damning home-run trot video of Altuve, who may or may not have been wearing a sign-stealing buzzer when he pleaded with teammates not to rip off his shirt as he approached home plate.
Didn’t happen, says new Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who pitched for Houston the last two seasons.
The $324-million man, in fact, is convinced the Astros did not cheat at any point during the 2019 season.
“I’m telling you, we played fair and square last year,” Cole told Bob Nightengale of the USA Today.
Cole also says he knows of no cheating in 2018 even though MLB reported finding evidence when doing its winter investigation, which led to suspensions, lost draft picks and a $5 million fine from commissioner Rob Manfred, and then Astros owner Jim Crane firing his GM and manager.
Cole loves being a Yankee – it fulfilled a lifelong dream – but he’s also proud of what his Houston teams accomplished – consecutive AL West titles and a 2019 pennant.
He feels for his former teammates, who have been bashed by many opposing fans, and predicts the Astros will have another standout season in 2020.
“I’m going to miss those guys,’ Cole said. “They’re under scrutiny right now. So many people are coming after them. I anticipate them bunkering down.
“I think they are going to play really hard and really well this year. Hopefully if they do that, maybe they can quiet it down a little bit, proving this will be a fresh slate for them.”
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