Mike Bolsinger's Lawsuit Against Astros over Sign-Stealing Scandal Dismissed

A judge in California dismissed a lawsuit against the Houston Astros filed by former MLB reliever Mike Bolsinger, according to The Athletic's Daniel Kaplan.

Bolsinger filed suit in February 2020, alleging the Astros' sign-stealing scandal irreparably damaged his career. In what remains his last MLB appearance, he allowed four earned runs over a third of an inning while with the Toronto Blue Jays in an August 2017 game in Houston.

Judge David Cowan of the Los Angeles Superior Court didn't find Bolsinger's suit had merit.

"If that's sufficient to sustain jurisdiction in California, it would be sufficient to sustain jurisdiction in any state of the United States that has an American League team," Cowan said, per Kaplan.

The judge went on to say Bolsinger purposefully chose to pursue the case in California to potentially capitalize on any lingering resentment toward the Astros after they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series:

"I don't think that's what we're talking about. In this case, what we're talking about is the fact that every single person that would be a witness in this case, lives in Texas. There is no single contact between California and this case … I don't think you took a state out of the blue, you took the Los Angeles Dodgers out of the blue and perhaps thought it was, that perhaps the jury or even the judge could feel badly about the fact that the Houston Astros won the World Series."

Bolsinger made 11 appearances in 2017, allowing 29 earned runs over 41.1 innings. He had a 4.92 career ERA in 48 games.

This wasn't the only litigation the Astros faced amid the fallout from the scandal.

Former general manager Jeff Luhnow, who was fired following MLB's investigation into the matter, filed suit last November. Luhnow contended his ouster was part of a deal between team owner Jim Crane and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred that allowed Houston to keep its World Series title. 

The case was dismissed after the involved parties reached a resolution.

A federal judge also dismissed a suit filed by daily fantasy sports players, who attempted to say the scandal amounted to a violation of consumer-protection laws.