There has seemingly been a constant stream of MLB superstars unloading on the Houston Astros over the past week or so, and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is one of the latest.
Judge was asked on Tuesday for his thoughts on the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme, and he did not hold back. He joined the chorus of people who have criticized MLB commissioner Rob Manfred for not disciplining any Houston players. Judge also bluntly stated that the Astros did not earn their 2017 World Series title.
Aaron Judge says the Astros should be stripped of their 2017 World Series title:
"It doesn't hold any value, it wasn't earned" pic.twitter.com/adbZDYEPlq
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 18, 2020
It would make sense for Judge to be more bothered by Astros players cheating than most other MLB players. Not only did Houston beat the Yankees in the 2017 ALCS, but Judge finished second in the AL MVP voting that year behind Jose Altuve. He was a gracious runner-up at the time and congratulated Altuve on the honor, but he said Tuesday that he was “sick to my stomach” when he learned about the sign stealing.
Aaron Judge acknowledged that he deleted his social media post congratulating Jose Altuve on the 2017 MVP after the Mike Fiers story broke. “I was sick to my stomach. … To find out it wasn’t earned, they cheated, that didn’t sit well with me.”
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 18, 2020
Many have said the Astros stole a World Series trophy from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017, but there has been less talk about Judge being cheated out of an MVP award. Cody Bellinger made sure to call attention to it, and it would be hard for Judge to not feel like he was robbed.
The negative commentary about Astros players from their peers seems to get more aggressive by the day. Manfred has said there will be serious consequences for any pitchers who intentionally throw at Houston batters this season, but there are bound to be some incidents.
The Houston Astros are confirmed cheaters and deserve an asterisk. Send that message by wearing our Houston Asterisks T-shirt! You can buy it here:
