Dodgers: Perception of the 2017 World Series altered by sign stealing

Revisiting the Dodger core vs the Astros core

Back during the World Series, I wrote about how the Astros core had separated themselves from the Dodgers’ core when they were on the verge of another possible World Series title.  Since then the Astros lost the World Series and now the latest cheating allegations have brought the Astros core down from the pedestal.

After all, the Astros and Dodgers have suffered the same fate in each of the last two seasons.  Both clubs lost to the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and the Washington Nationals in 2019.  Although the Astros’ core of Correa, Altuve, Bregman, and Springer have hit 49 home runs in their postseason career, 22 of those home runs came back in 2017 when electronic sign-stealing was going on for the Astros.

The Dodgers’ core, most notably Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager, have come under fire for their postseason play especially this year.  Given how the Astros’ core has had their own struggles in the postseason since 2017, all of a sudden the Astros’ core looks much less impressive.

Without the illegal sign-stealing in 2017, who knows if the Astros win the 2017 World Series, let alone even make it there.  While the Dodger core has much to prove in the 2020 postseason, their previous results in the postseason are suddenly very similar after the Astros have lost to the same two teams over the last two postseasons.