Dodgers Star Calls Out Astros for Cheating in Hilariously Nonchalant Way

The Astros' scandal has not been forgotten.

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers have found arguably the most potent 1-2 lineup punch in baseball with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts starring at the top of their hitters. Through 10 postseason games together, Ohtani and Betts have combined for seven home runs and 20 RBIs against the San Diego Padres and New York Mets.

Dodgers starter and all-time great pitcher Clayton Kershaw was asked about other great 1-2 lineup duos he has faced. One of the answers Kershaw came up with was the Houston Astros' duo of Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman, who Kershaw called out for cheating.

“I’m trying to think of teams that I pitched against,” Kershaw said to Jayson Stark of The Athletic. “Like the best teams. I mean, leadoff-wise, Altuve and Bregman were good (in Houston). But they cheated, so that’s not really the same.”

Kershaw most notably pitched against Altuve and Bregman during the 2017 World Series, which saw the Astros beat the Dodgers in seven games. Kershaw pitched in three games over the World Series, and started two of those games. In his first start, Kershaw pitched seven innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, and striking out 11. His lone earn run came at the hands of a Bregman home run, but the Dodgers still won 3-1.

Kershaw pitched 4.2 innings in his following appearance during that World Series, but allowed six earned runs, including one from an Altuve home run.

Altuve finished the World Series with five hits, four runs, two home runs, and five RBIs. Bregman recorded seven hits, six runs, two home runs, and five RBIs.

The 2017 World Series is marred by a sign-stealing scandal. Two years after the World Series, MLB found that the Astros stole the signs of their opponents and relayed those signs to their hitters, to give their lineup an advantage that ultimately helped them win the series.

With all that being said, the Dodgers still dropped that series, losing to the Astros, four games to three. It was L.A.'s first World Series appearance at the time since 1988.

While Kershaw acknowledged that Altuve and Bregman were good, he did not do so without adding that they cheated. He also stated that he believes the Dodgers currently have the best 1-2 in MLB with Ohtani and Betts.

“So yeah,” Kershaw said. “It’s hard to find. And ours is probably the best (1-2 punch) — right now — for sure.”