Justin Turner, Dodgers speak out on Astros cheating scandal, don't want a make-up trophy
The Los Angeles Dodgers held their annual FanFest on Saturday, and players like Justin Turner, Ross Stripling and Enrique Hernandez were there to mingle with fans. They were also there to answer questions about the only thing anyone wants to talk about: the Houston Astros cheating scandal.
It was the first time since the commissioner released the nine-page report on the Astros’ illegal sign stealing that any Dodgers players were available to answer questions from the media. They’ve had a lot of time to think about how the Astros had been cheating as they beat the Dodgers in seven games to win the 2017 World Series, but that didn’t stop them from being brutally honest about how they felt.
Ross Stripling knows how he and many will view the Astros’ 2017 World Series win.
Ross Stripling on Astros 2017 title: “It already has an asterisk next to it.”
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) January 25, 2020
Enrique Hernandez didn’t mince words, and summed up the whole situation succinctly.
Enrique Hernandez: “They cheated. They got away with it. They got a ring out of it.”
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) January 25, 2020
Hard to argue with that. Hernandez also had some glowing praise for his 2017 teammates.
Kiké Hernandez, smiling: “I’m extremely proud of our guys. We won a game in Houston when they knew every pitch that was coming.”
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) January 25, 2020
Turner said that the scandal changed what he thought of the Astros winning, and he also wasn’t sure why the only Astros player to apologize so far has been Dallas Keuchel, who isn’t a hitter.
“We know how hard it is to win a World Series,” Turner said. “We know that it's something you really have to earn, and with the commissioner's report and the evidence and what they had, it's hard to feel like they earned it and they earned the right to be called champions.”
Turner added that he hasn't spoken to any Astros players and wasn't sure why former Houston pitcher Dallas Keuchel apologized for the club stealing signs.
“Dallas Keuchel didn't hit. I don't really know why he was the one apologizing. He's the first one to mention anything like that, so I guess good for him.”
Despite not feeling like the Astros earned the 2017 World Series, he doesn’t want any retroactive championships awarded to the Dodgers.
Justin Turner had this to say when asked how the Dodgers’ legacies would be altered if not for the Astros stealing signs ... pic.twitter.com/i1ke9LNCdt
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) January 25, 2020
Players weren’t the only ones who had comments on the Astros illegally stealing signs. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had some choice things to say as well.
Reporter: “Have any Astros called you to apologize, and have they shown enough remorse?”
Andrew Friedman: “They have not, and they have not.”— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) January 25, 2020
Yikes. Astros owner Jim Crane recently said that the players intend to apologize during spring training, once they all can “sit in a room and talk about it” — presumably to get their stories straight with the assistance of several public relations people. We’ll just have to wait and see if that kind of apology is good enough for Friedman and the Dodgers.
More from Yahoo Sports:
