Houston Astros May Have Been Caught In ‘Spygate’ Cheating Scandal In ALCS, ‘Metro’ Reports

The Houston Astros could be in very hot water in the ALCS, and not just because of the two games to one hole they are facing.

A new report from Metro claims that the Astros were caught in some funny business at Fenway Park during Game 1 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. As the report claims, a member of the Astros organization was removed from the media area adjacent to the Red Sox dugout.

It’s not clear what the man was trying to do, but the circumstances could indicate some kind of spying on the Red Sox.

“The man had a small camera and was texting frequently, but did not have a media credential,” the report noted.

“After the man was removed another Astros staffer intervened – according to sources who were on the scene – and tried to convince security that he was authorized to be in the area next to the dugout. The man was not allowed back into the credentialed area, but was allowed to remain in the ballpark.”

If true, this would not be the first team to be caught using technology to spy on an opponent. Last year, the Red Sox were fined an undisclosed amount for using an Apple Watch in the dugout to relay signs from the New York Yankees to players in the field.

As CBS Boston noted, the MLB later released a written report detailing how the Red Sox passed the information from the dugout to players in the field.

“The video provided to the commissioner’s office by the Yankees was captured during the first two games of the series [from Aug. 18-20] and included at least three clips,” the report, written by Michael S. Schmidt, stated. “In the clips, the team’s assistant athletic trainer, Jon Jochim, is seen looking at his Apple Watch and then passing information to outfielder Brock Holt and second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was injured at the time but in uniform. In one instance, Pedroia is then seen passing the information to [Chris] Young.”

Ironically, it was also another Boston-area team hit with the hardest punishment for allegedly spying on an opponent. In 2007, the NFL determined that the New England Patriots improperly videotaped defensive signals from the New York Jets, and the team was fined $250,000 along with losing a first-round draft pick.

While the details of the situation aren’t entirely clear, MLB communications officer Pat Courtney did acknowledge the incident and said it would be “handled internally.” Neither the Boston Red Sox nor the Houston Astros commented on the incident, Metro noted.