The phrase “time heals all wounds” has been attributed to a Greek dramatist known as Menander circa 300 B.C. It’s unlikely, though, that he had the Astros’ sign stealing scheme from over 2,000 years later in mind when he uttered those words.
Ask any Dodgers or Yankees fans about the scandal, and it’ll be clear that they have not moved from the scorned feeling of what might have been. Houston dispatched New York in seven games in the 2017 ALCS, then defeated Los Angeles in a seven-game thriller of the Fall Classic. On Monday, a former member of that Astros team offered an interesting revelation about Houston’s road to its first-ever championship.
Evan Gattis joined the Astros ahead of the 2015 season and spent four years with the team, serving primarily as the designated hitter. He made a quip about the team being shut out by Yu Darvish despite knowing what pitches he was throwing, and was later asked about a key moment in Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS: his go-ahead home run in the fourth inning off of Yankees starter CC Sabathia in a game Houston eventually won, 4–0.
Got a feeling CC may get mad today pic.twitter.com/tzGsWfUnas
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) April 10, 2023
That homer was the only hit Gattis had during the series, but it was the most significant moment in what was an otherwise stellar postseason. In 40 playoff plate appearances that year, Gattis went 8-for-30 (.267) with 10 walks and three extra-base hits.
Gattis has expressed his regret publicly about the cheating scandal before, saying he felt bad that baseball fans felt “duped.” While his latest demonstration of candor is enlightening, it’s unlikely to take any of the sting out from the wounds those fans in New York and Los Angeles still feel today.
