On Monday, Major League Baseball punished the Houston Astros for using technology to steal signs. The Astros were fined $5 million and had four draft picks stripped from them. Additionally, general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were suspended for the 2020 season. The Astros subsequently fired Luhnow and Hinch for their failures to stop the cheating. Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, formerly Houston's bench coach, figures to be suspended next.
As reliably as Batman responding to Gotham's bat signal, you can bet that Pete Rose will be quoted about any and all situations that involve lengthy suspensions. Indeed, Rose offered his thoughts on the Astros' scandal to Randy Miller of NJ.com. Here's part of what he said:
"I bet on my own team to win," Rose said. "That's what I did in a nutshell. I was wrong, but I didn't taint the game. I didn't try to steal any games. I never voted against my team. I bet on my team every night because that's the confidence that I had in my players. And I was wrong.
"But this (Astros' situation) is a little different. It's a lot different, actually, and I think that's why the commissioner came down so hard."
Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling on his own teams. His reinstatement comes up every so often these days, with the goal being for him to get enshrined into Cooperstown. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred rejected his most recent reinstatement application back in 2015. Rose freely admits that he still bets on baseball.
Rose finished his 24-year career with 4,256 hits and a 118 OPS+. He made 17 All-Star Games, won two Gold Glove Awards, and was the 1973 Most Valuable Player. Rose accumulated nearly 80 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference's calculations.
Ichiro Suzuki, the international hit king, has yet to issue comment on the Astros' transgressions.
