Andy Martino

Cheated: The Inside Story of the Astros Scandal and a Colorful History of Sign Stealing Andy Martino

The definitive insider story of the cheating scandal that rocked Major League Baseball in 2019, bringing down high-profile coaches and players, and exposing a long-rumored sign-stealing dark side of baseball

By the fall of 2019, most teams around Major League Baseball suspected that the Houston Astros had been stealing signs for several years. The Astros had won the 2017 World Series and made the playoffs the next two seasons. All the while, opponents felt that Houston's hitters knew what pitches were coming.

In Cheated, award-winning sports reporter and analyst Andy Martino takes readers behind the scenes and into the heart of the events that shocked the baseball world. With inside access to the people directly involved, Martino tells the riveting story with the nuance and detail of a true sports whodunnit. How did otherwise good people like Astros manager A. J. Hinch, bench coach Alex Cora, and veteran leader Carlos Beltrán find themselves on the wrong side of clear ethical lines? And did they even know when those lines had been crossed?The Astros scandal became one of the most significant that the game has ever seen--its fallout ensnaring many other teams, as victims, alleged cheaters, or both. The Los Angeles Dodgers felt robbed of a World Series title and fended off accusations about their organization. Same for the New York Yankees. The Boston Red Sox were soon under investigation themselves. The New York Mets lost a promising manager before he had ever managed a game. A skillful reporter who has broken numerous stories about the Astros and sign stealing in baseball, Andy Martino crafts an investigative narrative that makes for an explosive, electrifying read.