Former Houston Astros catcher Evan Gattis joined the former Astros who have admitted cheating in the 2017 season, even admitting he knew what pitch was coming when he hit his pinch-hit homer in Game Seven of the ALCS against the New York Yankees.
The Astros, who won the World Series, cheated by using a sign-stealing system in which Astros players in the dugout would watch the live camera feed from center field watching the opposing catcher, decipher what pitch was coming, then bang a trash can when a breaking ball was pitched, but remain silent when a fast ball was coming, as The Athletic reported.
“I personally was a proponent of the idea at the time,” Gattis tweeted. When asked if he knew what pitch would be thrown by New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia when he hit his pinch-hit homer in Game 7 of the 2017 American League Championship Series, Gattis replied, “Yes. I’m pretty sure. Back door cutter slider.”
Gattis also confessed he has used PEDs. When a fan commented, “Was lucky to see you play [left field] 2 of the 11 times you did, in 2015,” Gattis joked, “I can guarantee I was terrified and probably on a performance enhancing drug both times.”
Second baseman Jose Altuve has been accused of using remote buzzers hidden inside his jersey that allowed the dugout to signal what pitch was coming to him, but Gattis wrote, “Honestly I have no idea. It used to be possible and I researched it. If anyone used them they were smart enough to not tell me.”
“I don’t know if there’s any truth to the buzzers,” he added. “If there was Altuve wouldn’t want it anyway. He’s a reactionary hitter.”
Gattis commented on the 2017 World Series, in which Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was hammered for six runs in Game 5 in Houston. In the 11 innings Kershaw pitched at Dodger Stadium in the World Series, where the Astros eschewed the cheating, Kershaw yielded only one earned run.
“I remember knowing what was coming against Kershaw,” Gattis tweeted. “As a team we swung and missed a handful of times only against him.”
Gattis concluded his Twitter thread, “Aaaaaaand it turns out I say stupid stuff from time to time. Nite.”
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager A. J. Hinch were suspended for the 2020 season for their failure to prevent the rule violations committed by the Astros.