Marwin Gonzalez, the Twins, and How the Astros Cheated Minnesota

[Mike Sixel]

 

I don't think this will have any effect on Gonzalez's relationship with his teammates. There are guys in that clubhouse who have been suspended for PEDs. They got to know Gonzalez all of last year. I may be wrong and it may cause issues, I will just be shocked. 

 

true, imo. Players are more than willing to cheat to win. 

[woolywoolhouse]

 

Here's the most egregious inning from the most egregious game: https://youtu.be/7FYj9_5sQk4

 

Current Astro Ryan Pressly came in to pitch in the 4th for the Twins. While he didn't give up any runs, Pressly still heard a lot of bangs during Beltran's at-bat (gave up a single) and then immediately hit Gurriel (who still heard a bang) with a pitch. (Announcers talked about how frustrated Pressly was, which is likely an understatement.) After that, with a runner on second, Pressly and Castro switched up the signals, and there were no more bangs after that. 

 

Love to hear from Ryan Pressly on what it was like pitching against his future team while they cheated.

[Dave Overlund]

 

Look at how many bombas the twins hit at home (137) and how many they hit on the road (170) with all due respect, Your "fun" question is ultimately a "dumb" question.

Marwin hit better on the road in 2017 than at home. Must not have cheated. 

[bird]

 

My guess: for the first few weeks of the 2020 season, Marwin is going to hear garbage can banging when he comes to the plate from some unhappy fans in the crowd.

My personal wish is that every time the Astros go on the road, the home team situates the team mascot on top of the home dugout during the top of the order, and when the home team pitcher goes into the windup, the mascot gives the signal for the fans to yell "BANG BANG" in unison. Until the league makes them stop, because, you know, that's cheating.

[Darius]

Here’s a “fun” question no one is asking: what if the Twins hitting a MLB record of home runs the first year Marwin is in town isn’t just a coincidence?

I asked that question right after shortly after the scandal broke on this very website.

[SomeGuy]

 

I wonder how long Marwin has with the Twins. This has to affect how he is regarded by his teammates, no? While I am personally not someone who really cares about sign stealing, and feels the method is not important, if the goal/result is the same...... it is surely not the majority opinion, nor MLBs, and certainly not the players. This has to make him a tainted person in the clubhouse. I don't see how it can be good for "chemistry".

I would think Mike Fiers is the one who will lose clubhouse credibility from it. I wouldn't tell him any secrets if he was my teammate.

 

He broke Omerta.

[h2oface]

 

I would think Mike Fiers is the one who will lose clubhouse credibility from it. I wouldn't tell him any secrets if he was my teammate.

 

He broke Omerta.

 

The bad guy is the honest one. This is the zeitgeist we live in. The old "have my back" even if I am the dishonest one - and you are a good teammate.

[KirbyDome89]

 

The bad guy is the honest one. This is the zeitgeist we live in. The old "have my back" even if I am the dishonest one - and you are a good teammate.

Fiers blowing the whistle on his old team 2 years later doesn't place him in a category above anybody else on that squad; i.e. he isn't the "good guy," either. IMO his motivation for bringing the story to light is fairly questionable. Altruism wouldn't be my first guess as to why he started talking.

[h2oface]

 

Fiers blowing the whistle on his old team 2 years later doesn't place him in a category above anybody else on that squad; i.e. he isn't the "good guy," either. IMO his motivation for bringing the story to light is fairly questionable. Altruism wouldn't be my first guess as to why he started talking.

 

I don't know his motive, no will I pretend to. But I am a huge fan of the late Jim Bouton and Ball Four. Truth is truth, no matter the motive, anyway. I will not villianize the whistleblower. He could have been the guy (as a pitcher, he didn't benefit at all) that was forced by peer pressure to assimilate into the team, and just stay silent. But after all the lies, and he didn't need to be part of the team, he spoke up. Good for him. Good for the good cop that doesn't buy into the crooked code blue. And I am one that doesn't care at all about sign stealing, and thinks it is up to the defense to figure out how to keep the signs secret, regardless of how they are stolen.

[Linus]

The only part I regret is that we have Gonzalez instead of Eddy Escobar.

[KirbyDome89]

 

I don't know his motive, no will I pretend to. But I am a huge fan of the late Jim Bouton and Ball Four. Truth is truth, no matter the motive, anyway. I will not villianize the whistleblower. He could have been the guy (as a pitcher, he didn't benefit at all) that was forced by peer pressure to assimilate into the team, and just stay silent. But after all the lies, and he didn't need to be part of the team, he spoke up. Good for him. Good for the good cop that doesn't buy into the crooked code blue. And I am one that doesn't care at all about sign stealing, and thinks it is up to the defense to figure out how to keep the signs secret, regardless of how they are stolen.

Sure, I agree that truth is unwavering no matter how you arrive at it, but that isn't what's being questioned. If we're assessing character, then Fier's motives certainly should be scrutinized. Did his moral fiber suddenly grow so strong over 2+ years that he felt compelled to blow the whistle, or was he a jilted ex that watched his former team and current rival, which kept him off the playoff roster in 17', win the AL West ahead of Oakland and make deep playoff runs, while the A's failed to make it out of the WC game? Fiers isn't the "good guy," more than any other player on that 17' roster, and he certainly benefitted from having an offense that knew what was coming.