Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says if he could do it over again, he may not have granted immunity to Houston Astros players while investigating the team’s sign-stealing scandal.
Manfred oversaw Major League Baseball’s investigation that confirmed the Astros stole signs with banned electronics en route to a 2017 World Series title. Manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow were fired in the fallout, as was ex-Astros bench coach Alex Cora from his managerial job with the Boston Red Sox.
Astros players, though, were granted immunity during the probe – a decision that peeved players and fans alike when MLB’s report and discipline were issued in January 2020.
During an interview with Time magazine published Wednesday, Manfred said it was “maybe not my best decision ever.”
“I’m not sure that I would have approached it with giving players immunity,” he said. “Once we gave players immunity, it puts you in a box as to what exactly you were going to do in terms of punishment.
“I might have gone about the investigative process without that grant of immunity and see where it takes us. Starting with, I’m not going to punish anybody, maybe not my best decision ever.”
MLB completed the investigation in less than two months. Without immunity, the probe likely would have taken far longer.
Players from that 2017 Astros team, including Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa, have been heckled by fans since the commissioner’s report was released in 2020, and frustration remains among at least some players, too.
In May, White Sox reliever Keynan Middleton struck out Correa to close out a victory, then called Correa “a cheater” to reporters after the game.
Manfred also said he’d like to take back a “rather flip comment” he made in the aftermath of the Astros’ scandal, when he referred to the World Series trophy as a “piece of metal.”
TWINS: Former American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel has agreed to a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins.
The 35-year-old left-hander was 2-9 with a 9.20 ERA in 14 starts last year with the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. He was released by the Rangers on Sept. 4 and had been a free agent.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
GUARDIANS 6, ATHLETICS 1: Josh Bell homered off an “Ohio” sign beyond the left-field wall and Myles Straw hit an RBI triple, leading Cleveland to a three-game sweep of visiting Oakland, which lost its eighth straight.
Bell’s 430-foot shot in the fifth inning off JP Sears (1-5) smacked the “H” on the sign affixed to a pedestrian walkway in Progressive Field. The blast tied it and Straw put Cleveland ahead in the inning with his two-out shot to left.
The A’s have baseball’s worst record at 19-58. Oakland’s mark through 77 games is the worst in the majors since the Detroit Tigers went 18-59 to start 2003.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PADRES 10, GIANTS 0: Manny Machado and Gary Sánchez hit three-run homers as visiting San Diego beat San Francisco to end the Giants’ 10-game winning streak.
Blake Snell (4-6) won his third straight decision, striking out 11 and allowing three singles in six innings as the Padres avoided getting swept in a four-game series for the first time since 2017. Snell has an 18-inning scoreless streak and has allowed one one run over 31 innings in his last five starts.
Snell, García and Ray Kerr combined to retire San Diego’s last 13 batters in the Padres’ eighth shutout this season, a game that lasted 2 hours, 19 minutes. San Francisco batters struck out 14 times in the Giants’ seventh shutout loss.
BRAVES 5, PHILLIES 1: Marcell Ozuna hit a two-run homer to cap a five-run 10th inning, and Atlanta beat visiting Philadelphia for its eighth straight win.
The Braves swept the rain-shortened two-game series in their first appearance in Philadelphia since falling to the Phillies in four games during last year’s NL Divisional Series.
Ozuna’s 14th homer of the season – a long shot to deep left-center off right-hander Yunior Marte – followed a two-run single by Austin Riley after Philadelphia left fielder Kyle Schwarber misplayed a ball that would have been the third out of the inning.
DIAMONDBACKS 5, NATIONALS 3: Ketel Marte hit a three-run homer over Washington’s bullpen in right field, leading Arizona to a win after Nationals Manager Dave Martinez was ejected for complaining about umpire Doug Eddings’ strike zone.
Martinez was irked when shortstop CJ Abrams struck out looking to end the fourth on a pitch that replays showed was low, only for a similar pitch to be called a ball on Arizona’s Carson Kelly in the fifth. Martinez argued with Eddings and was thrown out on his way back to the dugout, prompting Martinez to kick dirt and crouch behind the plate to illustrate his displeasure with Eddings’ strike zone.
Tommy Henry (4-1) earned his first victory since May 31 for the NL West-leading Diamondbacks, who have won five of seven and moved 16 games over .500 at 46-30. For the makeup of a game postponed June 8 because of poor air quality caused by Canadian wild fires, Arizona returned to Washington on what was scheduled as an off day between series at Milwaukee and San Francisco.
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