Inside the Astros

Commissioner Makes Shocking New Admission on Houston Astros Cheating Scandal

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred makes a new statement on how he would have handled the Houston Astros cheating scandal.

Kade Kistner

Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
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The Houston Astros cheating scandal took place in 2017 but didn't come to light until 2019 when reporting on the matter began to take place. It took until 2020 for the punishments to be doled out by the MLB.

It's halfway through 2023 and we are still talking about it. Well, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is at least. 

In a recent interview with TIME, Manfred lays out some of his biggest regrets. Some are smaller, like calling the World Series trophy, named after his own position, a 'piece of metal.'

Well done Rob, well done. 

"That’s probably a longer list. There are some decisions that I would like to have back," said Manfred to TIME. "There’s absolutely no question about that. Some of the decisions surrounding the Houston situation, would like to have those back. I mean, if I could take back the rather flip comment I made about the World Series trophy at one time, I’d take that one back. There have been times, particularly in times of pressure, when I look back, taking a little more time might have led to a different outcome."

But his biggest regret? Well, that one is a bit shocking. 

Through his entire investigation he gave immunity to players, not the front office or coaching staff.

During that time, Manfred decided that no player was going to be punished before his investigation even got started. No matter how egregious his involvement may or may not have been.

If he could do it again, he wouldn't have launched an investigation into the largest cheating scandal in North American sports history without the threat of punishment promised to players. 

"I’m not sure that I would have approached it with giving players immunity. 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."

What you think of the cheating scandal as a whole is irrelevant. Sure, did other team's "cheat" one way or another? Maybe. But the difference is they didn't get caught.

What's important is Manfred is once again changing his position and wishing he could have taken an entirely different approach to one of the most important investigations in sports history.

It highlights his lack of judgement, inability to make effective decisions under pressure and showcases his fundamental lack of leadership.

Luckily the Astros didn't suffer too much. They appeared in two World Series and won one of them in the three years to follow. 

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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