When Andrew Heaney expressed disgust at Astros players getting away with mere apologies following sign-stealing scandal

Andrew Heaney, the Texas Rangers pitcher, once expressed his displeasure at the Astros for their lack of remorse for cheating.

In 2017, Houston Astros used cameras to steal signs from their opposing teams that led to them winning the World Series. Many suspected that the team had used unfair means, however, it wasn't until 2019 that Athletic reported on the scandal. Mike Fiers, a former Astros pitcher, came out as a whistleblower on the whole incident.

MLB also concluded an investigation in 2020 that revealed that the Astros did in fact cheat in the 2017 World Series. Although the Astros were punished, they were still allowed to keep the World Series title. This led to severe backlash, as not only did they manage to retain the title, but the team showed no remorse for their actions.

One of the players in the league who was vocal about the incident was Andrew Heaney. In a 2020 interview with the New York Times, the pitcher said that the team should have done more to acknowledge their wrongdoing.

“They sure as [heck] need to do more than what they already did,” Heaney said. “That was terrible. I understand they are going to go get their (stuff) in order and they are going to have their thing to say, and they are going to hide behind the commissioner’s report and whatever. But I don’t think that’s good enough.”

The Astros did receive punishment for the 2017 cheating scandal. They had to forfeit their first and second-draft picks for the 2020-21 season. The team was also fined $5 million. The Astros also fired general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager A.J. Hinch in the aftermath.

When Andrew Heaney said that he hoped the Astros players feel bad for cheating

In the same interview, Andrew Heaney went on to say that it must have been hard for the players as well. However, he insisted that the Astros players should have realized that what they were doing was not okay.

“I know how it is. You get caught up in something. I’m sure they look back now and say ‘Oh [man], we really took that overboard.’ But I think that somebody in that locker room had to have enough insight to say this is not OK. . . ."

"Somebody in that locker room had to say, ‘This is [messed] up. We shouldn’t be doing this.’ For nobody to stand up and nobody to say, ‘We’re cheating other players’ — that sucks. That’s a [bad] feeling for everybody. I hope they feel [bad].”

Heaney was with Los Angeles Angels when the 2017 Astros cheating scandal went down. He signed a two-year contract with Texas Rangers in 2023.