HOUSTON – In short, no.
With reports of the Astros sign stealing scandal and Jim Crane firing Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch, some folks -- particularly Dodgers fans -- have called the Astros World Series into question.
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Is there any chance the MLB will strip the Astros of a title? Probably not.
Let’s point out that Barry Bonds is still in the record books, despite his steroid use. Manny Ramirez still holds his World Series titles as well.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred doesn’t seem to be heading down the path of vacating wins or titles.
And what if he did? Most sports fans still think of Louisville as the 2013 NCAA Champs, despite officially having that title stripped in the wake of their sex scandal. Vacating a win simply means the banners come down.
If the World Series title was vacated, it is likely the team wouldn’t have a ten-year anniversary celebration at Minute Maid Park in 2027. Some argue it would send a message, but it doesn’t seem likely at this point.
So far, no players have been punished. If Manfred was going to vacate the World Series title, wouldn’t you think at least one player would have been punished by now?
It looks like the Astros will keep their title. What do you think should happen?
Here is some reaction from social media:
The Houston Astros will not vacate their 2017 World Series championship but that title will forever be tainted and saddled with an asterisk larger than the one tied to any player connected with steroids.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) January 13, 2020
THE MLB SHOULD TAKE AWAY THE ASTROS’ 2017 WORLD SERIES
— Matthew McGovern (@MatthewMcGovern) January 17, 2020
THE MLB SHOULD TAKE AWAY JOSE ALTUVE’S 2017 MVP
THE MLB SHOULD TAKE AWAY AUBREY HUFF’S TWITTER ACCOUNT
FACT: The #Astros cheated in 2017.
— Dan (@DanClarkSports) January 13, 2020
FACT: Their cheating gave them a significant advantage over their opponent.
FACT: Their World Series win will always be tainted.
OPINION: MLB should have stripped them of their title.