Jose Altuve refuses to discuss claims he didn’t participate in sign-stealing: "It would be a betrayal of my teammates"

Despite winning the World Series title fair and square this autumn, questions about the Houston Astros' 2017 championship run continue to surround the team and second baseman Jose Altuve.

In a Nov. 18 piece written for The Athletic, Peter Gammons recalled a conversation with Altuve from Spring Training 2020. During the chat, more than two full seasons after Houston allegedly used sign stealing and other nefarious methods, the 2017 scandal came up.

According to Gammons, he approached Altuve with information that several members of his team said that the star middle infielder did not participate in sign stealing. However, Altuve refused to comment one way or the other.

Gammons said that Altuve declined to discuss the matter and requested the journalist not to write about it or address it on television.

"It would be a betrayal of my teammates," Gammons quoted Altuve as saying.

The scandal involved employees in Houston's video room using the game feed from the center field camera to decode and convey the signs of other teams to Astros baserunners on second base, according to MLB's investigative findings.

The Astros were penalized first- and second-round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021. Additionally, the team levied a $5 million fine, which was the maximum permitted.

Jose Altuve seen as league pariah since 2017 scandal

Jose Altuve and fellow Astros star Alex Bregman faced much of the wrath of opposing fans when Houston went on the road in 2018. That wrath was especially expressed by supporters of the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers, the three teams that the Astros faced in the 2017 playoffs.

Altuve and Bregman, who faced the press during the fallout of the 2017 scandal, were the focus of much of the hatred. While the heat has died down in the previous five seasons, much of the baseball world still regards Houston's championship from that year as tainted.

Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros comes home to score following his ninth inning walk-off two-run home run as Aroldis Chapman #54 of the New York Yankees walks off the field in 2017

Allegations emerged that Jose Altuve himself was wearing a buzzer under his uniform to tip him off to what pitches were coming. Altuve hit the game-winning home run off Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman in the 2017 American League Championship Series that sent the Astros to the World Series.

Altuve has flatly denied those allegations, telling Fox Sports in 2020: "Nobody on this team had a buzzer. I don’t know what else to say about that. MLB did their investigation and they didn’t find anything. They found what they found in 2017. They did a really good investigation on the buzzer and they didn’t find anything."