When A.J. Hinch acknowledged his shortcomings in 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal

The 2017 Houston Astros’ cheating scandal shook MLB, including former Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who blamed himself for the fiasco.

As a result of the cheating scandal, A.J. Hinch was suspended from the Major League for the 2020 season.

Hinch owned up to his failure to stop the sign-stealing scandal and acknowledged his shortcomings in a conversation with ESPN in 2021.

"I'm not going to tell anyone what to think, but I do want people to give me a chance," Hinch said. "I do want the good that I've done in my career to be somewhere in that thought process.

"I was in charge of something that was terribly wrong, and I paid my consequences. I was suspended. I'll never forget it. I'll never not answer the question. I'll never not apologize. But I've got a job to do. I'm going to be fully focused on that. And I would just appreciate if they would give me a chance."

Hinch was suspended even though MLB's investigation found that he wasn't the mastermind behind the scheme.

Houston Astros 2017 cheating scandal

Members of the Astros broke several rules by using technology to steal signs from rival teams throughout the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Some people on other teams had suspected the Astros of stealing signs for years, but there had never been any public reporting on the matter until Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich released a story in November 2019 outlining the team's actions.

Detroit Tigers v Cleveland Guardians

The Astros utilized a video camera in the seats in center field to record the opposition catcher's signals to the pitcher about the next pitch, according to Mike Fiers, a pitcher who played for them in 2017.

"Several players have come forward publicly to say that multiple teams were cheating with enhanced sign-stealing schemes, that the Astros were scapegoated. Here's a thread of players": - Michael Schwab

Hinch managed the Arizona Diamondbacks from May 2009 to July 2010 after ending his playing career. From September 2010 to August 2014, he served as the San Diego Padres' vice president of professional scouting. From 2015 to 2019, he served as manager of the Houston Astros, who defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series.

AJ Hinch opens up to Tom Verducci about the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and whether the team’s World Series title is tainted “It’s a fair question. And I think everyone is going to have to draw their own conclusion." – SI MLB

Hinch was hired by the Detroit Tigers prior to the 2021 campaign.