One of the biggest controversies in recent news for any major professional sport is the Houston Astros’ sign stealing scandal. After the investigations ended and the punishments were rendered, many people felt like the Astros got off easy. After all, suspending two staff members, losing two draft picks and paying a $5 million dollar fine seem like a slap on the wrist considering the fact that the Astros cheated their way to a World Series title.
With that being said, now that spring training is underway and preseason games have started, many people have predicted that opposing players might take it upon themselves to punish the players involved in the cheating.
Since the start of preseason, seven Astros players have been hit by a pitch, and surprisingly, this is not the most out of all teams. So far, eight St. Louis Cardinals players have also been hit by a pitch, which makes me think pitchers are not trying to punish the Astros themselves but are still just getting their command back after the offseason. Also, since it is the preseason, many young pitchers who haven’t pitched in the Major Leagues before still need to adjust.
It is important to consider that, in this context, nothing a player does during a game this season will change what the Astros did last season. Additionally, putting players at risk to try and punish them is not good for the game overall. Throwing a 100 mph fastball at someone and giving them a split second to react just because you don’t like something they did last season is as unsafe as it is unnecessary.
The MLB has already rendered its punishment, and while people might think the players got off easy, I don’t think anything a player can do during a game will get the MLB to change its verdict.
Baseball isn’t the only sport where players take it upon themselves to punish other players. When it comes to athletes policing themselves in contact sports, I do think that in most cases it is necessary for players to step in and keep their teammates from getting hurt. For example, I’m sure we’ve all seen football plays where a defender takes a cheap shot at a quarterback after the ball is thrown, and the quarterback’s teammates retaliate.
These are heat of the moment situations where it is understandable for a player to see his teammate laying in a heap on the field or court and want to do something about it.
In the the Astros’ situation, if teams choose to start throwing at them in the regular season, it would be completely premeditated. It is players waiting their turn to enact their form of justice and it is this planning beforehand that separates it from what goes on in other sports.
For one thing, dirty hits in sports like hockey and football can seriously injure people, and in rare cases, end careers. Modern professional sports are faster than ever before, and as a result are more dangerous than ever before. This is true in baseball just as much as any contact sport. Even though every dirty hit or wild pitch that hits a batter is not intentional, they will always be a part of sports. Moreover, no matter how many rule changes there are to protect players, there will always be players who take it upon themselves to play dirty.
Ultimately, it is a natural reaction for teammates to protect each other, especially in a contact sports. However, players taking it upon themselves to try and punish others for something they have done off the field is bad in the long run, because cheap shots and dirty plays can seriously affect lives and they have no place in sports at all.
