Latest / Follow the Lies: Fraud & Deceit Uncovered / Episode 15: The Astros’ Stolen Signs — How a Trash Can Rigged a World Series
Transcript
- Kevin Barrows: It's October 2017. Decades of sexual misconduct allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein spark a massive viral movement under the hashtag MeToo. Cardi B holds the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and the Houston Astros are on the verge of winning their first World Series title. Minute Maid Park is rocking. Jose Altuve, Carlos Carrera, and George Springer are delivering clutch hits. The city of Houston, still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, Is unified in celebration. What almost no one knew at the time was that some of those hits were coming with an illegal edge, one that was systematic, sustained, and helped turn the Astros into champions. For two seasons, the Houston Astros ran one of the most sophisticated and brazen science stealing schemes in modern baseball history. Today, we follow the lives from championship parade to public disgrace, from the trash can to the commissioner's office. Welcome to the Fall of the Lies for On Deceit Uncover. I'm Kevin Barrows. I'm former FBI special agent who spent almost thirty years investigating white collar fraud, public corruption, and organized crime. After leaving the Bureau, I continued that work in the private sector, and I also co hosted the Smithsonian channel series Sports Detectives, where we examine how deception and integrity issues play out in the world of professional sports. I've seen how small ethical compromises can grow into full blown institutional failures. Sports scandals often follow the same pattern as corporate fraud. Culture that prioritizes results over rules, leaders who look the other way, and participants who convince themselves that everyone's doing it. The Astros case is particularly instructive because it sits at the intersection of technology, team culture, and the relentless pressure to win. It wasn't one rogue player. It was a coordinated operation that involved players, coaches, and organizational tolerance. If you're getting value from these episodes, I'd really appreciate it if you'd hit subscribe and turn on notifications right now. It helps independent shows like this reach more people who care about the truth behind the headlines. The system started taking shape early in the 2017 season. The Houston Astros had already built a reputation as one of the most analytically sophisticated organizations in baseball. They were pioneers in using data, technology, and advanced metrics to gain every possible edge. That same relentless, innovative mindset was now being applied to something far darker, real-time sign stealing. A center field camera already existed for legitimate replay and broadcast purposes. The Astros quietly repurposed it. They routed the live feed into a monitor placed in the tunnel just behind the dugout, a short walk from the players and completely hidden from view of the umpires, opposing teams, and most cameras. From that monitor, a staff member or player would watch the opposing catcher's signs in real time, decode the pitch type within seconds, and immediately relay the information to the batter standing at home plate. The entire sequence often happened in one to two seconds. Fast enough for the hitter to still adjust. They experimented with several communication methods at first. Early attempts included clapping, whistling, and even shouting code words from the dugout. None of them proved reliable under the noise and chaos of a major league game. Eventually they settled on the simplest and most effective signal available, banging on a large plastic trash can with a bat handle or a fist. The code was basic but highly effective. No bang usually meant a fastball was coming. One bang or two bangs warned the batter that an off speed pitch or a breaking ball was on the way. The sound carried clearly into the batter's box, giving the hitter a critical split second advantage. In some games, the bangs became so frequent that opposing players later said they could hear them from the field. Veteran player Carlos Beltran, already respected across the league for his baseball intelligence, was reportedly involved in early conversations about how to refine the decoding process. Bench coach Alex Kora played a central role in setting up the monitor system and making sure it functioned smoothly during the games. While the scheme became largely player driven once it gained momentum, it operated with the knowledge, or at least a deliberately willful blindness, of people in positions of real authority inside the organization. The operation was not limited to regular season home games. It extended deep into the 2017 postseason, including high stakes games against the Boston Red Sox. New York Yankees and most damagingly the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Elements of the system continued into portions for the 2018 season as well, even after some of the internal concerns began to surface. The system proved especially effective against breaking balls and off-speed pitches, which helped explain why the Astros hitters posted unusually strong numbers on those pitch types throughout 2017. What made this game particularly insidious was how seamlessly it blended into the everyday environment of the ballpark. The trash can was already sitting in the tunnel. The camera feed already existed for legitimate reasons. The dugout tunnel itself was a natural blind spot that umpires rarely monitored. At times the trash can was moved or hidden when certain people entered the area, suggesting an awareness that the practice needed to stay concealed. Under the intense pressure to win, especially after years of deliberate rebuilding and high expectations, the line between smart baseball and outright cheating became dangerously blurred. Science dealing itself has a long history in baseball, but the use of real time electronic feeds crossed a clear technological and ethical line that previous generations had not. Once a critical mass of players began benefiting from the advanced information, silence became the default culture. Some hitters later admitted they became so dependent on the bangs that they felt uncomfortable stepping into the box without the information. No one wanted to be the person who disrupted a championship caliber team. Opposing pitchers and coaches later admitted they sensed something was wrong. Batters seemed unusually prepared. Swings on braking balls were more aggressive and better timed than they should have been. Some pitchers even changed their entire sign system mid series because they became convinced the Astros already knew what was coming. But proving the system in real time was nearly impossible. Some Astros hitters later admitted they would look toward the dugout or tunnel area for confirmation even after the bang, showing how dependent they'd become. The system was so well known inside the organization that some players referred to it casually in private conversations. Opposing teams began using more complex sign systems and multiple indicators specifically because of suspicions about Houston. The Astros weren't simply guessing better than everyone else. They knew what was coming, and for two full seasons, that illegal knowledge helped fuel one of the most dominant offenses in baseball, an offense that carried them all the way to a World Series title that would later be permanently tainted. by the revelation of how it was ultimately achieved. The scheme stayed hidden for nearly two years after the Astros' 2017 World Series victory. Then on November 12, 2019, former Astros pitcher Mike Fires went public in a detailed report published in The Athletic. Fires, who had pitched for Houston during the twenty seventeen season, described the center field camera, the monitor hidden in the dugout tunnel, and the trash can banging system with specific First hand detail. His decision to speak out became the spark that finally forced the story into the open. Fires later faced significant backlash, including public criticism from former teammates and executives who felt he had broken an unwritten code. Major League Baseball responded quickly. Commissioner Rob Manfred ordered a formal investigation that proved both thorough and aggressive. Investigators conducted dozens of interviews with current and former players. Coaches, front office executives, and support staff. They pulled thousands of hours of game video, dug out camera footage, and broadcast feeds. They examined internal emails, text messages, electronic access logs, and communications records. Forensic analysis was used to map exactly when the monitor system was active and how frequently the trash can signals appeared during critical at-bats. In some games, banks were so consistent that investigators could align them almost pitch by pitch with the video. The evidence was overwhelming. MLB confirmed the Astros had used the electronic signed stealing system during a substantial portion of the 2017 regular season and throughout the entire postseason, including multiple games of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The system was also used in earlier playoff series, where the margin of victory was extremely thin. Elements of the scheme continued into the early part of the 2018 season before being scaled back. Investigators concluded that while the day-to-day operation was largely player-driven, managers and senior executives failed in their responsibility to stop it. Internal communications reviewed during the probe showed that some level of front office awareness existed, even if executives later claimed they did not know the full extent of the operation. One of the more revealing discoveries Involved the technology the team had developed to speed up the process. In the replay review room, staff used an internal program nicknamed Codebreaker to help decode the catcher's signs more efficiently before the information was relayed toward the dugout. This was not a casual or occasional cheat. It was an organized, sustained system designed to give hitters a consistent advantage. Even more damaging was the finding that the system continued in some form after internal conversations had already raised the risk of getting caught. Equally telling was the culture of silence that surrounded the operation. Multiple witnesses described an environment in which questioning the system was discouraged. Some players told investigators they felt pressure to participate even if they were uncomfortable, because opting out risked being labeled as not a team player. Players who felt uneasy either took part or stayed quiet. The pressure to win after years of rebuilding and the expectation of sustained success created a powerful incentive to look the other way. Once enough players were benefiting, cost of speaking up felt higher than the cost of continuing. Several opposing players and coaches later told investigators they had raised suspicions during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, but lacked concrete proof at the time. Some said they felt something was off in real time, but assumed it was simply good hitting. Commissioner Manfred's official report, released on January 13, 2020, was blunt. He held manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Jeff Lunau primarily accountable for failing to stop the misconduct. Hinch's own statements during the investigation revealed that he knew the system was wrong. At one point he even destroyed a monitor in frustration, yet he still failed to shut the operation down permanently. Both men were suspended for the entire twenty twenty season. Astro's owner Jim Crane fired them the same day the report was released. The organization was fined the maximum five million dollars permitted under the MLB rules and stripped of its first and second round draft picks in both two thousand twenty and two thousand twenty one. Bench coach Alex Kora, who by then had become manager of the Boston Red Sox, was later suspended for the full 2020 season for his role in setting up and running the Astros system. Manfred made clear that the failure was not only the cheating itself, but the absence of any meaningful attempt by leadership to shut it down once it was underway. Notably, no players were suspended or fined. MLB granted them immunity in exchange for full cooperation during the investigation. A decision that drew sharp criticism from fans, opposing players and other organizations. The league also chose not to vacate the twenty seventeen World Series title, citing the practical and competitive difficulties of rewriting history years after the fact. This decision left a permanent stain. Many players and fans still refuse to fully recognize the twenty seventeen championship, viewing it as forever tainted by the scheme. The investigation exposed deeper weaknesses in baseball's existing rules. At the time, the use of real time video feeds for sign stealing was not prohibited in clear or forceful enough language. Enforcement depended heavily on teams policing themselves. In the aftermath, MLB significantly strengthened its rules, increasing monitoring of dugouts and replay rooms, and made electronic sign stealing an explicitly punishable offense. Since then, the league has also widely adopted pitchcom, an electronic system that allows the catcher to transmit pitch calls directly to the pitcher. Largely eliminating the traditional signs that made schemes like the Astros possible. Now let's go inside the investigation, where I provide insight into how the investigation unfolded behind the scenes. From my own experience leading major white-collar cases, I know that the hardest part is rarely proving the scheme itself. The real challenge is determining who knew what, when they knew it, and whether leadership actively enabled the misconduct or simply failed to stop it. That distinction matters enormously when it comes to accountability. In the Astros case, investigators faced a classic institutional problem. The players who benefited most from the system had the least incentive to come forward. People in positions of authority, managers and front office executives, had plausible deniability. They could claim they didn't know the full extent of what was happening in the tunnel. The investigation had to peel back layers of, I didn't see it, and I heard rumors, but Before the full picture emerged, the presence of technology made the case both easier and harder. Video evidence was abundant, proving knowledge and intent, however, required showing that the leadership understood the system was being used and allowed it to continue. The decision to grant players immunity was controversial, but it was also practical. I know well the internal struggle that comes with offering immunity to people involved in a scheme in order to reach the bigger targets. I'm certain this was a difficult decision for the MLB, but without that immunity, investigators would never have been fully able to determine the scope of what happened or hold the people in positions of authority accountable. The final report painted a clear picture: a winning organization that had gradually lost its moral compass. The desire to win had overridden the basic rules of fair play. It was a textbook example of how a high-performing culture can slowly normalize behavior. That would have been unthinkable only a few years earlier. In every investigation of this kind, people face a choice. Most protect their standing and stay silent. A few, like Mike Fires, chose to speak. The Astros case sits high on the deception spectrum. Not because it involved the most complex financial engineering or the largest dollar figures, but because it was systematic, technology enabled, and protected by a powerful team culture. This was institutional deception. The scheme wasn't hidden in offshore accounts or layered accounting tricks. It was carried out in plain view of the people inside the organization. The camera was real. The trash can was real. The signals were audible, and yet the operation continued for two seasons because enough people either participated, benefited, or decided it wasn't their place to stop it. The real damage went beyond one championship. It damaged trust in the game. Pitchers from opposing teams felt they had been competing on an uneven field. Astros fans who celebrated the twenty seventeen title were left wondering how much of the success was earned. Yankees and Dodgers fans will always feel that they had in their teams were cheated out of a potential title, and the league itself was forced to confront how quickly technology can outpace the rules designed to protect competitive integrity. The lesson is straightforward. When winning becomes the only metric that matters, the ethical boundaries start to erode. Technology doesn't create the temptation, it simply makes the deception more efficient. Each episode, I share a practical lie detector tip drawn from real investigations. Today's tip is about the danger of normalized cheating inside high performing groups. When a group, whether a sports team, a sales department, or corporate division, starts treating rule breaking as just another tool for success, the deception becomes self reinforcing. People stop seeing it as wrong. They see it as competitive advantage. Here's the practical test I use. Ask yourself three questions about any group you're part of or evaluating. Are people openly discussing methods that would be hard to defend if made public? Or said another way, would it be problematic for me to testify under oath in a court of law about what I'm doing? Is dissent treated as disloyalty rather than healthy skepticism? Does the group celebrate results while remaining vague or defensive about the process? If the answer to these questions leans yes, you're looking at a culture where deception can take root quickly. The trash can system didn't start as a grand conspiracy. It started as a series of small decisions that gradually became standard operating procedure. The people who eventually spoke up, like Mike Fires, faced real personal and professional risk. Most people don't take that risk. That's why culture usually matters more than any single policy. If something feels off, And the group around you treats questioning as the real problem, pay attention. That instinct is often the first warning sign. From World Series champions to a cautionary tale about technology, culture, and winning at all costs, the Houston Astros science stealing scandal remains one of the clearest modern examples of how quickly competitive integrity can erode. If you've ever been part of a team, workplace, or organization where the pressure to deliver results made people start bending rules. Or if you've seen someone speak up when it was hard to do so, I'd like to hear your story. Send it to Kevin at Follow The Lives Podcast dot com. The most powerful ones may become future episodes. If you want practical tools to help you spot deception and protect yourself, download my free guide, seven proven strategies to spot lives and uncover the truth in any interview. It's available right now at Follow The Lives Podcast.com. While you're there, join our community on Substack. At follow the lies dot substack dot com for deeper dives and exclusive lie detector tips. If you're on YouTube, please subscribe. If you're on Apple Podcasts, a rating takes two seconds and it actually helps. And if you know someone who cares about sports and integrity, text them this episode. Thanks for listening. Until next time, follow the lies.