When ESPN's Jessica Mendoza criticized Mike Fiers' controversial role in unveiling Astros' sign-stealing conspiracy

In 2020, ESPN network had Jessica Mendoza on its Thursday morning shows to discuss the Astros sign-stealing controversy. Therefore, on national television, Mendoza blamed former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers for exposing the sign-stealing plot. At the same time, the Mets, who employed Mendoza, struggled to decide what to do about GM Carlos Beltrán's involvement in the cheating incident.

Carlos Beltrán was a member of the 2017 Astros team and was the sole player named explicitly in Major League Baseball's report on its inquiry. Thus, the Mets were incidentally involved in the commotion surrounding the league's probe into that team.

Mendoza said in 2020:

"Going public, yeah. I mean, I get it. If you’re with the Oakland A’s and you’re on another team, I mean heck yeah, you better be telling your teammates, 'Look, hey, heads up. If you hear some noises when you’re pitching, this is what’s going on.' For sure. But to go public, yeah. It didn’t sit well with me. And honestly, it made me sad for the sport that that’s how this all got found out."

Mendoza contributed to the development and upkeep of societal pressure on individuals who dared to voice their opinions by criticizing Fiers. That was in opposition to Major League Baseball's objective.

Mike Fiers moved on to Oakland Athletics

Before the coronavirus outbreak led to a truncated, little-attended MLB season, Fiers was among the most divisive individuals in the sport's contemporary history. There was an apparent fallout between Houston Astros and Mike Fiers regarding a cheating scheme that his former team used. Regardless of opinions, there was an instant and disruptive backlash.

Mike Fiers in Oakland A's jersey

Most of Houston's designation holders were suspended, and some lost their jobs after an MLB investigation. After all these issues, Fiers finally joined the Oakland Athletics. Fiers said at the time:

"We’re focused on us as the A’s — there are a lot more teams than Houston.”