How Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch is owning Astros scandal: ‘Part of my story, not Tigers’
A.J. Hinch’s name has become synonymous with a few unsettling words in the baseball world: sign-stealing, cheating, suspension and scandal. But his name also is attributed to more pleasant moments, such as wins, postseasons and championships.
The Detroit Tigers hired Hinch on Friday, just three days after the end of Hinch’s year-long MLB suspension for his role in the Astros’ cheating scandal in 2017, the year the franchise won its first World Series.
“I understand how wrong it was,” Hinch said Friday. “I’m sorry for that. I’ve said that before. I’ll say it again. I’ll continue to say it. I won’t forget the feeling that I’ve had throughout the past year as I’ve navigated this with my family.”
Following its investigation, MLB ruled that Hinch didn’t do enough to stop the actions of bench coach Alex Cora and his players, including Carlos Beltran. They devised a scheme to steal signs with replay monitors, two of which Hinch smashed, and they banged on a trash can to cheat by signaling breaking balls to batters.