Cody Bellinger Cuts Loose On The Astros And So Does KTLA

HOLLYWOOD, CA — The Houston Astros ‘Sorry, not sorry’ press conference didn’t go over well across much of the sports world, and it really bombed in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers lost the World Series to the Astros during the height of the cheating scandal in 2017.

KTLA, Southern California’s oldest news station, captured the prevailing sentiment in LA with a chyron that read “Astros Cheater" to identify Astro infielder Jose Altuve as he stepped up to the podium.

The controversial press conference, in which Astros owner Jim Crane announced, "Our opinion is this didn’t impact the game...We had a good team. We won the World Series and we’ll leave it at that,” triggered swift backlash even from Dodgers players, who had stayed mum on the controversy.

“I thought Manfred’s punishment was weak, giving them immunity,” Dodgers MVP Cody Bellinger told the Los Angeles Times. “I mean these guys were cheating for three years. I think what people don’t realize is [Astro Jose] Altuve stole an MVP from [Yankee Aaron] Judge in ’17. Everyone knows they stole the ring from us.”

Bellinger further told the Times he believes the Astros cheated well beyond 2017.

“I mean, 100%,” Bellinger said. “I don’t know why they would stop.”

Not done, Bellinger addressed a video that seemingly shows Altuve telling his team not to take off his jersey while celebrating his home run for the Game 7 win against the Yankees.

“I don’t know what human hits a walk-off home run against Aroldis Chapman to send your team to the World Series and, one, has the thought to say, ‘Don’t rip my jersey off,’” Bellinger told the Times. “But to go in the tunnel, change your shirt, and then come out and do your interview — that makes no sense to me. Makes zero sense to me. Because I know me. Gary Sanchez said it yesterday. You can rip my shirt off, my pants off, I sent my team to the World Series off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning, at home, I’m going crazy.”

Heading into spring training, the fallout from the cheating scandal continues to roil Major League Baseball, and it has created bitter emotions in Los Angeles where Dodgers fans believe the Astros got away with stealing the 2017 World Series by cheating.

SEE ALSO:

• Former Dodgers Pitcher Sues Astros Seeking $31M For LA Charities
• LA City Leaders Call On MLB To Award Dodgers World Series Titles
• LA Strikes Out In Bid For Retroactive World Series Titles

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Last month, the Los Angeles City Council called on the league to strip the Astros of the title and award it to the Dodgers. The MLB quickly nixed the idea, and Dodgers leadership said the team wouldn’t want a tainted title. For the most part, the club has shied away from complaining about the scandal publicly for fear of being accused of sour grapes.

However, this month former Dodger pitcher and MLB journeyman Mike Bolsinger sued the Astros, claiming the sign stealing ruined his career and hurt other pitchers fighting to make it in the league.

"I don't know if I've had a worse outing in my professional career," Bolsinger told USA Today. "I remember saying, 'It was like they knew what I was throwing. They're laying off pitches they weren't laying off before. It's like they knew what was coming.' That was the thought in my head. I felt like I didn't have a chance."

Bolsinger is suing for damages and asking the Astros to pay $31 million — the approximate amount of bonuses received by winning the 2017 World Series title against the Dodgers — to Los Angeles-area charities.

Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired after Major League Baseball concluded the team cheated during the 2017 season by using a camera to steal signs being relayed from opposing-team catchers to pitchers, then tipped off Astros batters about what type of pitch was about to be thrown. The Astros defeated the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series.

Major League Baseball initially suspended Hinch and Luhnow for the 2020 season, but Astros owner Jim Crane quickly announced that both had been fired. Neither Hinch nor Luhnow were alleged to have had a role in implementing the sign-stealing system, "but neither one of them did anything about it," Crane said.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement that "virtually all of the Astros' players had some involvement or knowledge of the scheme," but no individual players were disciplined.
MLB also fined the Astros $5 million, and the team will forfeit its next two first- and second-round draft picks. The team's former bench coach, Alex Cora — who went on to be manager of the Boston Red Sox — could also face severe discipline for being the person who developed the sign-stealing system while in Houston, Manfred said.