On Monday, the dust settled on the Houston Astros and their sign-stealing scandal with both manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow fired by the Astros after being suspended for a full year by Major League Baseball . The Astros were found to have used technology to steal signs throughout the 2017 season and the New York Yankees were one of the alleged victims.
Now, the Staten Island Yankees, who are the Yanks' short season Class A affiliate in the New York-Penn league, are taking this as an opportunity to throw a little bit of shade in the Astros' direction. will be giving away mini trash cans prior to their Sept. 3 game against the Tri-City ValleyCats, the Astros' affiliate in that league.
🚨NEW GIVEAWAY ALERT🚨 Mini Trash Can Giveaway on Thursday, September 3rd. Tickets for this game are on sale early for this week only! To purchase click the link or call us at 718-720-9265.https://t.co/QZUHgdZhX4 pic.twitter.com/8NsNGKa0fL
— Staten Island Yankees (@SIYanks) January 14, 2020
The first 500 fans to come through the gates will receive a mini trash can of their own -- no word yet on if mini bats or massage guns will be given away also.
The Astros were accused of banging on trash cans when they were stealing signs from the opposition, which was confirmed in the MLB investigation. It was a signal to let Houston batters know the type of pitch that was coming.
Of course, the Astros defeated the Yankees in seven games in the 2017 American League Championship Series. With Houston stealing signs at that time, they perhaps gained an advantage and perhaps New York would've won the series if it wasn't for Houston breaking the rules. The Astros went on to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series to secure their first championship.
It's certainly not surprising to see other teams poking a little bit of fun at the Astros in the wake of Monday's penalties. Minor league baseball promotions are always good for a laugh and this is a different level of hilarity.