Astros' AJ Hinch: Yankees' Sign-Stealing Allegations Are 'A Joke'

Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch laughed off accusations his team stole signs during Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees.

Dismissing the allegations as "kind of funny," Hinch discussed the measures MLB has in place to ensure teams are unable to skirt the rules, per ESPN's Bradford Doolittle:

"We talked about this the other day. And in reality it's a joke. But Major League Baseball does a lot to ensure the fairness of the game. There's people everywhere. If you go through the dugouts and the clubhouses and the hallways, there's like so many people around that are [responsible for security]. And then when I get contacted about some questions about whistling, it made me laugh because it's ridiculous."

SNY's Andy Martino reported Wednesday some Yankees players and coaches were upset about a "whistling sound" coming from the Astros dugout as a way to communicate the Yankees' pitch signals.

According to Martino and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, MLB investigated the matter and didn't find any wrongdoing.

Sign stealing or not, Houston dropped Game 1 7-0 and registered only three hits.

The issue goes deeper than the 2019 ALCS, though.

Metro Boston reported in October 2018 that Fenway Park security removed a man who had claimed to be an Astros employee from an area designated for the media during Game 1 of the 2018 ALCS. The man in question had a small camera.

Jeff Passan reported for Yahoo Sports the Cleveland Indians, who played Houston in the previous round, had told the Red Sox that "a man credentialed by the Houston Astros might try to steal signs or information from their dugout." 

Shortly after those reports broke, Bleacher Report's Scott Miller spoke to a source who said "this is just the tip of the iceberg" and that the Astros have "been doing it for years."

Former MLB pitcher Seth McClung questioned whether Houston was attempting to steal signs during the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

The irony is that Houston seemingly wouldn't need any additional advantages to gain an edge. The Astros ranked first in weighted runs created plus (125) and weighted on-base average (.355), per FanGraphs. They also have a starting rotation that includes Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke.

One would presume that's enough to secure a second World Series title.