As a sign-stealing scandal continues to rock the baseball world, Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and manager David Ross say that they support what the league has done to discipline the teams involved.
The scandal, which was first reported last fall, originated with the Houston Astros, as accusations that the team used a series of signals, including banging on trash cans, to help steal signs and give hitters an advantage over opposing pitchers.
Major League Baseball originally suspended Astros manager A.J. Hinch and G.M. Jeff Luhnow for a year amid the probe, but the team later fired both individuals.
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who was a bench coach with the Astros during the team’s World Series-winning run in 2017, was ousted by the Red Sox for his role in the scandal, and on Thursday New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran, who hadn’t even managed a game for the club, was fired by the team.
Beltran played for the Astros during the 2017 season, and was mentioned prominently in MLB’s report.
While speaking to reporters on Thursday at the annual Cubs Caravan, Ross applauded the league for its actions, saying they were important to protecting the integrity of the sport.
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“You’ve got to applaud Major League Baseball for doing their due diligence and upholding eh integrity of the game,” he said. “It’s super important for our fans, for our players and for our coaches.”
Rizzo also praised the league, saying that while he is respectful of teams who are able to steal signs by on-field observation, the Astros’ use of technology took things well past acceptable limits.
“In-game stuff is different, but some of the video stuff I think takes it too far,” he said. “MLB has done a good job of having guys in the clubhouse monitoring it.”
As the investigation into the scandal continues, Rizzo is confident that the Cubs will not be implicated in any way.
“It’s 100 percent safe to say that, without a doubt,” he said. “That’s for sure, on the record.”
