Mookie Betts on 2018 Red Sox Sign Stealing: ‘Everybody Was’ Aware
Five years have now lapsed since the Red Sox's controversial 2018 World Series title. Most of the key contributors from that team have scattered throughout the major leagues, including Dodgers outfielder (and '18 AL MVP) Mookie Betts.
Even manager Alex Cora, seemingly disgraced as a result of the sign-stealing scandal, has returned from exile to pilot Boston the past two seasons.
Still, Betts and his teammates occasionally face questions about the nature of the Red Sox's operation, which evaded much of the uproar over the Astros' duplicity. In a Sunday Los Angeles Times column by Dylan Hernandez, Betts offered his perspective on Boston's actions half a decade later.
When asked if he was clued into the fact the Red Sox were stealing signs via video, Betts was frank.
“Yeah,” Betts said, “everybody was.”
When pressed on how frequently Boston used its system in the regular season, Betts hesitated.
"This is what I’m trying to say. People are trying to make it like we’re cheating," he said. "Give us credit. We had a good team. Give us some credit. We had Cy Young winners. We had MVPs. We had Gold Glove winners. We had Silver Sluggers. We had all that. Take that into account.”
The Red Sox won 108 games in 2018, breaking a franchise record that had stood for 106 years. They went on to defeat Los Angeles in the World Series in five games.
