Max Muncy reacts to Orel Hershiser's viral reminder of Astros cheating Dodgers

ByEmma Lingan|
Los Angeles Dodgers v Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Dodgers v Kansas City Royals | Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

What should have been a tightly contested matchup between two of baseball's best teams would end up the most lopsided loss in the history of Dodger Stadium on Friday in a rematch of the 2017 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

To make matters worse for the Dodgers, legendary former pitcher and current broadcaster Orel Hershiser struck a nerve during the game with a comment he made during the Astros' 18-1 rout.

Hershiser made fans' hair stand on end when he noted that the Houston hitters were "swinging at these breaking balls like they know what is coming," making an obvious reference to the Astros' sign-stealing scandal in 2017 – the year they won the World Series in Los Angeles.

Max Muncy reacts to Orel Hershiser's viral reminder of Astros cheating Dodgers in 2017

Needless to say, Hershiser's comment sparked outcry among fans of both teams. But Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, who is currently on the injured list with a bone bruise in his knee after a collision with a base runner earlier this month, cleared things up Tuesday on the Foul Territory podcast with Erik Kratz and A.J. Pierzynski.

Muncy, who was a member of the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate during the 2017 season, said he didn't believe that the Astros hitters were cheating in the most recent series. He did, however, note that rookie pitcher Ben Casparius may have been tipping his pitches and that Houston may have picked up on it.

“Do I think they knew what was coming? Yes, I do," Muncy said. "Do I think they were cheating to get there? No, I think they had a tip on the pitcher and that’s on us to clean that up. That’s not cheating, that’s part of the game. Good teams are going to do that."

Muncy noted how comfortable the Astros hitters looked against Casparius during Friday's game and said the Dodgers have since studied film in an attempt to determine what exactly the rookie was doing to possibly tip his pitches.

"It's one of those things where you just always have to careful about what you're doing out there, you don't want to give away anything to the other team. That's something we've taken advantage of a lot of times. You have to find a way to clean that up. It's not cheating, it's just a part of the game."

Sign stealing in baseball is as old as the game itself, but the references to the 2017 scandal will continue to haunt the Astros for decades to come. It was Houston who would have the last laugh this weekend, however, cruising to a three-game sweep of the spiraling Dodgers.

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