Yankees general manager Brian Cashman hasn’t forgotten about those lying, cheating, sign-stealing Houston Astros.
Cashman downplayed the Yankees finally ending their 15-year World Series drought, adding that the Astros are to blame for the extended gap.
“I hate the 15-year thing because it completely forgets and discounts that some other organization cheated us when we were already in the end, if you knew what was going on, I don’t think they would be advancing during that time thing, I think we would have been advancing” Cashman said about the Astros on “Mad Dog Radio” with long time New York radio host Chris Russo.
“I hate that 15-year thing because I don’t think it accurately reflects history.”
The Yankees have been eliminated by the Astros four times during the playoffs dating to 2015 — falling to Houston in the 2015 Wild Card game and the ALCS in 2017, 2019 and 2022 — and Cashman has referenced the 2017 team as the one that he felt the Astros’ nefarious tactics cost a potential title.
Houston defeated the Yankees in seven games, but the Bronx Bombers did not know just how much of a disadvantage they were at during the series.
It is only known that the Astros cheated from 2017-18.
It was first reported in November 2019, and Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres believes it continued into 2019, when the Yankees were again eliminated by the Astros.
The Astros were stealing signals from pitchers during the playoffs and relaying them to the hitters via banging sounds during each at-bat.
The Yankees had a 3-2 lead in the ALCS before dropping the final two games in Houston.
Cashman’s team did not have to deal with the Astros this postseason.
Houston was eliminated in the wild-card round by the upstart Detroit Tigers in two games. That helped clear a path for the Yankees, who beat the Royals and Guardians on their way to the World Series.
The Yankees and Dodgers begin the World Series on Friday night in Los Angeles.
