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Lindsey Graham
Hi, this is Lindsey Graham, host of American Scandal. Our back catalog has moved behind a paywall. Recent episodes remain free, but older ones will require a Wondery plus subscription. With Wondery, you get access to the full American Scandal Archive ad free, plus early access to new seasons and more. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. It's spring 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Astros new bench coach, Alex Cora is hurrying down a windowless corridor inside Minute Maid Park. The team is set to take the field in a few hours, and Cora is already in his white Astros uniform. But before the game starts, he needs to visit the video replay room, which is located deep within the bowels of the ballpark. The league ordered teams to install these replay rooms just a few years ago so teams can use instant replays to challenge umpire's rulings on the field. But the Astros, like other teams in the league, soon realized that the replay room presented additional opportunities during a game. For the first few weeks of the season, they've had one of their stadium's cameras focused squarely on the opposing team's catcher, and someone in the video room has logged and decoded his signs using codebreaker the Astros secret catalog of opposing teams hand signals for different pitches. And for the past several games, the Astros have been experimenting with how to relay these signs to their hitters, but so far the process has been slow and cumbersome. Someone from the replay room has to call Cora in the dugout on a phone that rings loudly and tell him the sign sequence. Then someone in the dugout has to use hand signals to relay the signs to a runner on second base, who has to then signal to the batter what pitch is coming. It's convoluted, and Cora isn't happy with the system, so he's heading to the replay room to talk with a man who's usually on the other end of the dugout phone, Tom Coked Baiser, who's in charge of gathering data about opposing teams. Cora steps through the half open door to the video replay room, and Coke vaser leans back in his chair to see who's there. TV monitors glow in front of him, showing footage of a recent Astros game from several different camera angles. Hey, Tom, got a minute? Always, Alex. What brings you to this humble corner of Minute Maid Park? Well, I want to talk about the signs. Sure. What's on your mind? Well, for one thing, the phone's too damn loud. Yeah, that ringer is like something out of the 80s. I know. I mean, you can hear it from the field. And people are starting to look over wondering why I'm getting so many calls. We gotta try something else. Well, we could go back to the Apple watch. Oh, that was obvious too. Plus it's all too many extra steps. By the time the hitter gets the signs, he's already got two strikes against him. Yeah, well, I just don't know if there's any other way to signal fast enough. I still gotta send the signs through the dugout and by then the pitcher's already onto his next pitch. I don't know. I think our setup here in the stadium isn't helping. You know where the Yankees have their replay room? Right behind the dugout. If they need to relay information, they don't have to make a long distance call to do it. Yeah, well, that must be nice, right? I mean, for all we know, they are sending signs directly to the hitter. Meanwhile, our replay room is back behind the clubhouse. I think we're at a disadvantage here. Well, how do we make our system more efficient? Well, I have an idea. What if we set up a monitor closer to the dugout? Like right behind the dugout in the tunnel? Yeah. I mean, it doesn't need to be fancy, just a monitor on a table or something. It'd be like our own little mini replay room. Makes sense. But how could I explain needing a TV near the dugout? It doesn't have an obvious purpose. I guess if anyone asks, tell them it's for players to look at their own at bats. You know, so they can make in game adjustments. Well, I guess that's what we're trying to do. Make in game adjustments. All right, well, I'll run it up the chain and see what happens. Cora. Thanks. Koch. Bazer. And as he turns to head back to the dugout, he feels a new spring in his step. Soon Cora's players will be able to see a close up high definition view of the other team's signs whenever they want during games. And with help from their codebreaker spreadsheet, they'll be able to decipher those signs. It could be just the edge they need to make it to the playoffs and maybe even the World Series. American Scandal is sponsored by Audible. I bet you heard that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert, right? Who came up with that? Malcolm Gladwell in his book Tipping Point. It's an idea that becomes something of an axiom and brought criticism to Gladwell for oversimplifying complex social concepts. So what does he do? He writes a snarky follow up revenge of the tipping overstories, super spreaders, and the rise of social engineering. Too bad the Audible title itself isn't 10,000 hours long, because there's more to imagine. When you listen as an Audible member, you choose one title a month to keep from their entire catalog. New members can try audible free for 30 days. Visit audible.com as or text as to 500 500American Scandal is sponsored by T Mobile 5G Home Internet with new home Internet plus from T Mobile, you can get Internet right where you want it so you can boost your connection to places it hasn't reached before and transform your home Turn your backyard into a movie theater, turn your basement into a home office. For a limited time, get a free upgrade to T Mobile Home Internet plus while supplies last. Home Internet plus starts at just 50 bucks a month with autopay and any voiceline. Check availability@t mobile.com home Internet and get Internet right where you want it. During congestion, customers on this plan may notice speeds lower than other customers and further reduction if using greater than 1.2 terabytes per month due to data prioritization. After $20 bill credit plus $5 per month without autopay, debit or bank account required. Regulatory fees included. For qualifying accounts, $35 connection charge applies From Wonder I'm Lindsey Graham and this is American Scandal by the end of the 2016 season, the once ridiculed Houston Astros have become a winning team thanks to a culture focused on innovation, especially when it came to using data and technology to gain competitive advantage. General manager Jeff Luno drew on his business background to bring a Moneyball approach to the Astros, using analytics to identify undervalued players and new technologies like high speed cameras to help those players improve their pitches and swings. To baseball purists, Luno's methods were controversial, but they did produce results, and going into the 2017 season, Luno believed the Astros were poised to make a World Series run. So before the season kicked off, Luno, his front office and his coaching staff got to work adding some final pieces to the team. They hired former player and ESPN analyst Alex Cora as their bench coach and signed veterans like Carlos Beltran to add depth and experience to the team. Cora and Beltran were two of the game's brightest minds, and both were experts at sign stealing. They also had both adapted to the new realities of baseball's high tech era, when players found themselves with access to smartwatches, high definition cameras and video replay rooms, all of which could be leveraged to take sign stealing to another level. Other teams were already pushing boundaries with electronic sign stealing, which to many players occupied a gray area. In the game's rules, it was technically illegal to use any on the field technology to help decode catchers signs, but Major League Baseball had mandated the installation of video replay rooms in every ballpark, and those were off the field. Some felt that surely the league did not expect players and coaches to ignore how these replay rooms could be used to analyze other teams signs. To Beltran, Cora and many of their teammates, the Astros needed to get on board with sign stealing for the 2017 season and use all the tools at their disposal to maximize results. They suspected that other teams, like the Yankees and Red Sox, were already using technology in creative new ways. So if the Astros wanted a real chance at a championship, they needed to keep pace. This is episode three dark arts it's spring 2017 inside minute maid Park. Antonio Padilla carries a large, sealed cardboard box into the corridor just behind the Astros dugout. He sets the box on the concrete floor, cuts through the tape and carefully slides out a new flat screen tv. Padilla isn't sure what the TV is for, and he hasn't asked. As one of the youngest employees in the Astros video replay room, some things are above his pay grade. But now, as Padilla unwraps the TV's cables, he tries to make a few guesses about what it might be used for. He knows it can be hard to see the field from the back of the dugout, so maybe this is just a way for more players to watch the game. Or maybe it's to speed up instant replay reviews. But he doesn't want to ask too many questions. At this point, all he knows is that the request to install it came from the Astros bench coach Alex Cora. And that's enough for him. Because if he makes a good impression with Cora and the other Astros coaches and players and helps the team do whatever it takes to win more games, there could be something in it for him. Not just a promotion, but potentially a bonus. If the Astros make it to the playoffs, they can earn a lot of extra money from postseason ticket sales, and teams often use some of that money to pay bonuses to select clubhouse employees. Padilla knows that a playoff bonus can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. His salary is only $45,000 a year, so that kind of money would be life changing. So Padilla hoists the TV monitor onto a folding table against the wall, which is painted bright Astros orange. Then he squats down to plug the power cord into an outlet. He stands back and turns The TV on the monitor glows to life. For now, it's just a blank blue screen. Someone else will have to come by and connect the TV so that the team can see whichever camera angles they're hoping to see. But Padilla's part of the job is done, and soon enough, he'll find out what this mysterious new monitor is for. It's unclear how many people within the Astros organization understand the new TV monitor's actual purpose, but soon it becomes the focal point of the team's obsession with sign stealing. The monitor is hooked up to the center field camera, giving the Astros a live feed of the opposing catcher's signs just steps from their dugout. During home games, massage beds and folding chairs are placed near the monitor, and different players and staff members are assigned to sit there, watching the catcher's hand signals and decoding them in real time. And now that the team no longer has to wait to get signs from the video replay room deep in the bows of the stadium, they're also no longer reliant on having a runner on second to relay signs to the hitter. Instead, they begin to experiment with other ways to relay signs directly from the dugout to the batter so he knows what's coming with every pitch. This gives many Astro hitters a new confidence at the plate, and their opponents start to take notice. In late May 2017, the Astros sweep a three game series against the Baltimore Orioles. Their hitters dominate Orioles pitchers so thoroughly that by the end of the final game, Baltimore's veteran manager, Buck Showalter, has grown suspicious. Showalter has been a big league manager for 19 seasons and approaches games with nearly a sixth sense, and that sense tells them something isn't right. So as soon as he gets back to Baltimore, he calls a meeting with Orioles general manager Dan Duquette to discuss what went wrong. They sit down together in Duquette's office overlooking the field at Camden Yards, the Orioles home ballpark. Now, look, Dan, I'm not trying to make excuses for three straight losses, but it was pretty clear to me that the Astros had our signs. Hmm. I had the same thought. Asher had good stuff last night. It didn't make sense to me that they tagged him for six runs and two innings. Yeah. And I was looking to see how they were doing it. I get that other teams might steal our signs. That's part of the game. But what bothered me is that I couldn't figure out how the Astros were doing it every time, even without someone on second. I mean, to track what we were doing that closely. They would have had to have someone camped out on second base in a lawn chair. Well, so maybe they weren't stealing signs. Maybe it was something else. I thought about that, too. Minutemeg park has those new super bright LED lights in the outfield. Maybe their eyes were just better adjusted. They could pick up on pictures better, but nah, I don't think that's it. Yeah, who knows? But it didn't seem right. How's Asher holding up the rest of the pitching staff? Well, they were pretty rattled. I mean, they'll be okay. I did tell them we need to change up our signs more often. All right, thanks, Buck. You let me know if you hear anything else, though, about the Astros. If they're up to something, I want to know what it is before we play them again. Oh, you bet. I'll keep an ear out. Showalter rises and walks out of his GM's office. He knows he needs to focus on getting his players ready to face the Yankees tonight, and in order to do that, he's going to have to help them shake off their experience in Houston. But questions around what the Astros were doing are still churning in his mind, and despite decades of experience in Major League Baseball, Showalter can't think of any answers. In order to relay stolen signs to their hitters and evade the notice of savvy opponents like Orioles manager Buck Showalter, the Houston Astros landed on a simple, very low tech solution. All it required was a baseball bat and a trash can. During home games, an Astros player or staff member would stand in front of the TV monitor behind the dugout watching a center field feed of the opposing team's catcher. Once they had the signs, someone would use a baseball bat to bang on a nearby plastic trash can loud enough that the Astros hitter could hear the signal over the crowd. One or two bangs meant a change up was coming. No bangs means the pitcher is about to throw a fastball. The trash can system is not perfect. For one thing, it only works at home games, where the Astros players have access to their dugout monitor. And some hitters don't think the system is precise enough to make much of a difference. The bangs don't tell them anything about a pitch's location, only its speed. But still, many of the Astros believe it gives them an advantage at the plate. And soon the trash can becomes a regular part of their home game routine. But regardless of whether players think the trash can system is working or not, one person who doesn't seem to have an opinion is the team's general manager, Jeff Luna. Some members of the Astros organization who are in on the scheme begin to wonder if Luno is even aware that is going on. Usually, baseball GMs don't sit anywhere near the dugout. Some don't even attend the games at all. So it's possible that Luno is just out of the loop. But in the video replay room, Tom Kochweiser is doing his best to keep Luno informed. Twice after long road trips, he emails Luno detailed notes about the team team's overall performance. And in his emails, without going into too much detail, he references the video monitor and trash can operation, calling it the system and our dark arts sign stealing department. But when Luno responds to these emails, he never asks for more information about the system or clarification about how the Astros are stealing signs. So later in the season, when Luno knocks on the door of the video replay room room during a game, Koch Vaser still isn't sure how much Luno knows about the sign stealing operation. When he pops his head into the replay room, Luno says he's simply making the rounds. So Koch Vaiser invites him in to have a look around and tells Luno to let him know if he has any questions about the way anything works. Luno nods and turns to the bank of monitors which are beaming live footage from seemingly every angle in this stadium. Koch Vaser watches as the GM's eyes move from the monitors to the guy seated in front of them, some of them with laptop computers displaying the codebreaker spreadsheet. When Luno sees this spreadsheet, he turns to Kochweiser and asks if they're code breaking right now. For a moment, Kochweiser hesitates. Luno can be hard to read, and Kochweiser still can't tell how much Luno knows about the sign stealing operation or even whether or not he approves of it. So Kochweiser isn't sure how much he should reveal about the inner workings of the scheme. Finally, he just gives Luno a strong nod and tells him yes, they're doing what they can. Kochweiser feels a sense of relief when he sees Luno smile. Then Luno tells the guys in the replay room to keep up the good work. He wraps his knuckles on the doorframe and leaves. Everything they're doing seems to be working, including using the replay room and video monitor behind the dugout to steal signs. And it sure seems to Coke Vaser like they just got Jeff Luno's blessing to keep on code breaking. American Scandal is sponsored by Uncommon Goods Spark something Uncommon this holiday with just the right gift from Uncommon Goods. Incredible hand picked gifts for everyone on your list. Gifts that spark, joy, wonder, delight. And that it's exactly what I wanted feeling all in one spot. Like what my wife found recently. She loves puzzles and she adores Advent calendars. 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And for a limited time, visit auraframes.com and get $45 off Aura's bestselling Carver Matte Frames by using promo code as at checkout that's Aura frames.com promo code as this exclusive Black Friday Cyber Monday deal is their best of the year, so don't miss out. Terms and conditions. Applause. By the end of July 2017, the Astros are one of the most dominant teams in the league. They're winning two out of three games and have a 16 game lead over the nearest competitor in their division. To the members of the team who've embraced the trash can system, this record is evidence that their sign stealing strategy is producing results. Even so, not everyone in the dugout is happy about it. Astros manager A.J. hinch doesn't approve of the illicit sign stealing efforts, but he's afraid to shut it down. Hinch has only ever served as a manager one other time in his career, and that job did not end well, in part because Hinch wasn't able to earn the respect of his Clubhouse. Back in 2009, after a successful career as a catcher and front office executive, Hinch had been hired to manage the Arizona Diamondbacks. And at just 34 years old, Hinch was the youngest manager in the league by far, and the veteran members of the team weren't especially interested in hearing what he had to say. Under Hinch's leadership, the Diamondbacks posted their lowest winning percentage in franchise history, and Hinch was fired after just one season. Now, more than a decade later, Hitch still struggles to maintain authority in the dugout, especially when it comes to disagreeing with veteran player Carlos Beltran, who's only three years younger than Hitch and already has a Hall of Fame worthy career. So for Hinge, going against Beltran risks turning the whole team against him. So instead of confronting the sign stealing issue directly, Hinge occasionally just asks his players to quit it with the banging or mutters to fellow coaches that he wishes they wouldn't do that. And even among the players who do support the sign stealing operation, there's disagreement about how much the trash can scheme has improved their hitting. Some players think that the banging is just a distraction. One of the players who feels this way is Astro second baseman Jose Altuve. Since Joining Houston in 2011, Altuve has proven himself to be a formidable hitter despite being undersized for a major leaguer. During the 2016 season, he led the American League with a.338 batting average, including a career high 24 home runs. In 2017, he's on track to put up even bigger numbers. But in the middle of the season, during Juan Astro's home game, Altuve finds himself struggling to focus at the plate. He raises his bat, looks over his left shoulder toward the pitcher, and then he hears a bang, bang from the dugout. A slow moving changeup sails toward him. He hesitates, then decides not to swing, but the pitch tumbles right over the plate and the umpire calls strike one. Maltuve shoots a dirty look at the Astros dugout, then steps back into the batter's box. He gazes out at the pitcher, who winds up and throws again. This time it's a fastball. Altuve swings but misses for strike two. Altuve then stretches his neck and tries to settle himself. He's faced this pitcher before and he knows his tendencies. And now that he has a chance to finish Altuve off, he'll probably come back with another fastball. The pitcher goes into his wind up. Altuve clutches his bat. He watches the ball come off the pitcher's fingers, and just as it does, he hears another two bangs, trying to calculate what that means in his head. Altuve swings a half second too early and misses the pitch for strike three. Altuve marches back to the dugout, trying to mask his frustration, but the second he's out of view of the fans, he glares at his Astros teammates before continuing into the tunnel behind the dugout, where another teammate is standing in front of the TV monitor, a baseball bat in his hand and the trash can at the ready. Altuve snaps to stop it with a banging when he's at bat. He can hit just fine without it. The player sheepishly nods and promises it won't happen again. But for the rest of the game, when other guys go to hit, Altuve continues to hear that hollow banging sound. He doesn't begrudge his teammates doing whatever they think they need to do to gain advantage, but he wants no part of it. While the Astros hitters continue to debate whether the trash can scheme is actually helping their game, the team's pitchers are having their own tough conversations about sign stealing. For many in the Astros bullpen, it's difficult to watch a fellow pitcher, even an opponent, face hitters who know what pitch is coming. It puts even the best pitchers at a disadvantage and for some, gives batters an unbeatable edge. In one August game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Astros hitters humiliate opposing relief pitcher Mike Bolsinger, who gives up four runs, three hits and three walks while just getting one hitter out. Bolsinger loses his job after that game and never pitches in the major leagues again. So many Astros pitchers know that if they were in that position, they'd be livid. Still, no one speaks up or tries to put a stop to the trash can scheme. They may well feel bad for opposing pitchers, but the pressure to close ranks and cover for their teammates outweighs any feelings of guilt. Besides, most players and coaches on the Astros feel certain that the other teams in the league must have similar operations Going to the Astros using their dugout monitor and trash can system as just keeping up with the times and the fact that they keep winning games is only proof that their current signed stealing system is better than anyone else's at the moment. Still, when the team brings in a new pitcher to strengthen their chances for a possible World Series run, players are nervous about the way he'll react to the scheme, especially because they used it on him. In August 2017, the Astros acquired Justin Verlander in a late season trade with the Detroit Tigers. Verlander is considered one of the best pitchers in baseball. He's pitched two no hitters and led the league in strikeouts four times. But when he faced off against the Astros earlier in the year, he pitched an uncharacteristically terrible game. So now, as the Astros prepare to welcome their new star pitcher, they're a little leery of revealing how they were able to get the best of him. Verlander, for his part, has to settle in quickly on a new team with only a few weeks left in the season. He spent his whole career pitching for the Tigers. So when he enters the clubhouse locker room for the first time, he's feeling some first day nerves. And immediately, Verlander also clocks a strange energy in the room. The other players seem to be avoiding eye contact, and they're barely talking at first. Verlander chalks it up to Hurricane Harvey, which just ravaged Houston with devastating floods. The Astros had to move several home games to Florida while the city cleaned up the damage. They're all probably still reeling from that. But when his new teammates keep giving him the silent treatment, Verlander finally decides to try to break the ice. At a quiet moment in the locker room, he speaks up. Hey. Hey guys. Yeah, if you would. I just want to say, you know, I'm happy to be here. Really. Now I'm even happier I don't have to pitch against you guys anymore. This gets a few chuckles, but most of the locker room remains quiet until one player, who's twisting a towel around his hands, walks up to Verlander and reluctantly speaks. Hey Justin. Welcome to the team. I'm sorry. Some of us have been acting kind of weird. You don't have to apologize. I mean, the hurricane was hard on everyone. I'm sure a lot of your homes got flooded. Neighbors. Nah, it's not that. We just don't know how to tell you. Tell me what? Well, when you pitched against us in May, we had your signs. I knew something was up in that game. I couldn't figure out how you were doing it, though. You knew what was coming even when nobody was on second. Yeah, we did. So how'd you do it? What's the secret? Well, we've got a live video feed of the catcher set up near the dugout. When we see what he's signaling, we the player hesitates, and Verlander senses that whatever he's about to say next he's not proud of. Yeah. And you what? We bang on a trash can to let our hitter know what pitch is coming. A trash can? Yeah. One or two means something off speed. No bangs means a fastball. That's it? That's your system? A trash can? That's it. But I mean, we respect you, though, and we're really happy you're here. I guess we just didn't know how to come clean about it. I mean, you would have figured it out soon enough once you started hearing all the banging, right? Verlander leans against a locker and considers this. He thinks back to that week in May when the Tigers lost three out of the four games against the Astros at Minute Maid Park. He remembers the frustration he felt after what he thought was a bad performance. But then he just bursts out laughing. You sneaky bastards. A flippin trash can, huh? I knew you guys were up to something. You not pissed? Nah. I mean, you gotta hand it to you guys. We were stumped. We had no idea. Plus, I'm pretty sure Cleveland's got something similar going on. Honestly, it's like if you don't have a system right now, you're screwed. Right? And like I said, I'm glad I don't have to pitch against you anymore. Verlander starts to unpack his bag and change into his uniform. The atmosphere in the room has shifted. He can feel it. His teammates look relieved. Not to be in trouble, but Verlander has been around baseball long enough to know that teams push the rules to their limits. He can remember the steroid era, when hitters used performance enhancing drugs. He's even seen pitchers doctor balls and hitters alter their bats. And it seems obvious teams would start to use replay rooms to steal signs, even if this is the first time he's heard about it first hand. So far be it for him to judge. Besides, all he wants to do is wrap up this season with the Astros on a high note. Verlander has had a successful care career so far, but like many guys on the team, he's yet to add a World Series victory to his resume. If the Astros have a system that's working he's not going to be the one to stop it.
- [30:21]
Ryan Reynolds
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Lindsey Graham
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Instacart Representative
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- [31:40]
Lindsey Graham
As summer turns to fall in 2017, the Houston Astros continue to use their dugout monitor and trash can to relay stolen signs to batters. But they are not the only team in the league taking advantage of electronic sign stealing. In early September 2017, just one month before playoffs, news breaks that the Boston Red Sox have been using Apple watches to communicate signs from their video replay room to the dugout. According to reports, an investigation was launched after the GM of the New York Yankees reported the Red Sox to the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred. The Red Sox quickly responded by filing a similar complaint against the Yankees. And after the investigation, Major League Baseball determined that the Yankees are also guilty of illegal sign stealing. Ultimately, neither team receives a severe punishment. Both are fine small amounts, but no games are forfeited and no players or coaches are suspended. But the fines set a clear precedent. For the first time, the commissioner has punished sign stealing schemes that involve the use of video replay rooms. And in a memo sent to all 30 major league teams on September 15, 2017, Commissioner Manfred reiterates that use of the replay room to decode signs during games is considered cheating. He also vows to hand out harsher punishments for teams caught using Video and other electronics to steal signs in the future. So when word of this warning reaches the Astros offices in Houston, it strikes fear into the hearts of some members of the club, including Tom Koch Baser. Sitting at his desk, reading through the commissioner's full memo, Koch Baiser feels his pulse quicken. He knows the system he playfully calls the dark arts absolutely meets the criteria for illegal sign stealing. And if Manfred's memo is to be believed, the Astros can't afford to risk getting caught. So Koch Baiser rises from his desk and anxiously walks over to the office of one of his superiors. Hey, sorry to bother you so late, but I need to get your approval on something. Hey, Tom, what's going on? You look stressed. I'm not stressed. I mean, I am, but I can take care of it. What is this about? Well, I just think with everything going on, we have to stop Code Breaker, like, immediately. So if we could just get everyone aligned on that. What's wrong with Code Breaker? Last I heard, everyone seems to love it. Well, they do, but. Wait, wait. What exactly did you hear? That you guys are having a great run using it to figure out sign sequences before games. You heard that we use Codebreaker before games? I guess. Sometimes after games. I mean, depending on when someone can watch tape and plug signs into the spreadsheet. Right. Well, so I don't think we have an issue here. Are you worried about the Manfred memo? Well, I mean, listen, maybe not everyone in the front office is aware of, but we've also been using Codebreaker during games. The executive falls silent for a moment, taking this in. Then he looks down at some papers on his desk. Ah, okay. Well, thanks for bringing this to my attention. Don't mention it to anyone else for now. I need to decide how best to handle it. The executive doesn't look up again. So Koch Vaiser mutters a thank you and slinks out of the office. As he walks back to his desk, Koch Faiser's mind races. He wonders if his boss really didn't know about the in game sign stealing. And if that's true, who else in the front office is unaware? Or maybe Koch Faiser just inadvertently broke a code of silence and ruined the plausible deniability the higher ups could have claimed. If the sign stealing scheme gets exposed. All he really knows is that if the Astros don't stop using Codebreaker during games, this whole situation could cost the team dearly. At this moment in time, Tom Koch Baiser is not the only one trying to put a stop to illicit sign stealing in the Astros clubhouse manager A.J. hinch's exasperation with the scheme is starting to boil over. On two separate occasions, he damages the TV monitor near the dugout, but it proves futile. After each episode, a new monitor is installed to replace the old one, and Hinch still never directly calls out any of the players or coaches involved. But then, finally, at the end of September, the Astros find themselves on the verge of getting caught red handed. In a game against the Chicago White Sox at Middlet Maid park, the Astros bang their trash can, signaling to hitter Evan Gaddis that the White Sox pitcher is about to throw a change up. And for the first time all season, the opposing pitcher seems to hear the banging. White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar steps off the mound to convene with his catcher, and then when he returns to the mound, the Astros notice that the catcher is no longer throwing signals at all to the guys in the dugout. This feels like proof that Farquhar has figured out what they're up to. For a moment, there's panic in the Astros dugout. The players quickly take the TV monitor down and the trash can goes silent for the rest of the game. But the Astros face no questions about what happened at that game in September. And for the remainder of the regular season, the Astros barely use the trash can at all. They don't really need to. They're so far ahead in the standings that they've already clinched a playoff spot. But after the Farquhar incident, they're also paranoid about getting caught. And then in the playoffs, their first opponents are the Boston Red Sox, and in a best of five series, the Astros come out on top. Next is the American League Championship Series, a seven game contest against the New York Yankees. And again the Astros are victorious, defeating the Yankees four games to three. It's unclear whether the trash can was used in either of these series. Later, some players would say they heard banging, while others denied it, also pointing out that teams use more complex signs in the postseason that are harder to steal. And the crowd noise at sold out high stakes games would have drowned out the banging. But with or without the sign stealing, the Astros have won two straight playoff series. And now they have a chance to win the first World Series in the franchise's history. For general manager Jeff Luno, all his hopes, dreams and strategic decision making have been leading to this moment. Now it's up to the players to carry the Astros across the finish line and bring home the championship. The Astros are up against the Los Angeles Don Dodgers, and the series is a slugfest. The teams trade wins and losses until the series is tied at three games apiece. Game 7 in LA on Nov. 1 will determine the winner, and in the first two innings, Astros hitters jump all over the Dodgers ace starter Hugh Darvish. They score five runs and carry a 51 lead into the late innings, and in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, Astro second baseman Jose Altuve punches his glove and tries to calm his nerves. He crouches down, keeping himself light on his feet and his focus sharp. Altuve has spent his entire career with the Astros and seen the team through its lowest moments. They may be up four runs, but he's not going to relax until they've got that third and final out. He watches Astro pitcher Charlie Morton, who stands on the mound staring over his glove at home plate. Dodger Stadium churns with a low roar of fans punctuated by high pitched whistling. Then finally, Morton winds up and throws for Altuve. It's as if time slows down. The Dodger's hitter swings hard, his body twisting violently. Altuve tracks the ball as it comes off the hitter's bat and bounces through the infield right towards him. Altuve then scoops the ball into his glove, then throws it to first base, where teammate Juli Gurriel catches it for out number three. And before Altuve can fully process what just happened, he realizes he's screaming with joy. His teammates sprint toward each other, leaping through the air to embrace. Altuve races to join them, a single finger raised in the sky. They are number one. The Houston Astros have just won the World Series. The swarm of Astros players wrap their arms around each other, jumping up and down on the field in celebration. Altuve is overcome with happiness. He can barely believe how far this team has come. The next hour is a blur. There are more on field celebrations, interviews with reporters and champagne bottles popping in the clubhouse. This is the proudest night of Jose Altube's life, and he knows his teammates all feel the same way. The Houston Astros are champions and nothing can take that away from them. From Monterey this is Episode three of Houston Astros Caught Stealing for American Scandal in our next episode, after the World Series celebrations wind down, suspicions about the Astros ramp up around the league, and a former teammate turned whistleblower threatens to expose the team's cheating scheme for all of America to see. If you're enjoying American scandal, you can unlock exclusive seasons on Wondery plus, binge new season first and listen completely ad free when you join Wondery plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify and before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a survey@wondry.com survey if you'd like to learn more about the Houston Astros sign stealing scheme, we recommend the books Winning Fixes Everything by Evan Drellick and Cheated by Andy Martino. This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details. And while in most cases we can't know exactly what was said, all our dramatizations are based on historical research. American Scandal is hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham for Airship Audio editing by Christian Paraga Sound design by Gabriel Gould music by Lindsey Graham this episode is written by AJ Marish edited by Emma Cortlandt Fact checking by Alyssa Jung Perry Produced by John Reed Managing Producer Olivia Fonti senior producer Andy Herman Development by Stephanie Jentz Executive producers are Jenny Lauer, Beckman, Marsha Louie and Erin O'Flaherty for wondering.
- [42:06]
Suzanne Rico
This is a story that begins with a dying wish. One thing I would like my mother's last request that my sister and I finish writing the memoir she'd started about her German childhood when her father designed a secret super weapon for Adolf Hitler. My grandfather, Robert Lesser, headed the Nazi project to build the world's first cruise missile, which terrorized millions and left a legacy that dogged my mother like a curse.
- [42:38]
Lindsey Graham
She had some secrets.
- [42:39]
Suzanne Rico
Mom had some secrets. I'm Suzanne Rico. Join my sister and me as we search for the truth behind our grandfather's work and for the first time, face the ghosts of our past.
- [42:50]
Lindsey Graham
Jeez, who is he?
- [42:52]
Suzanne Rico
Listen to the man who Calculated Death exclusively with Wondery. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery app, Apple podcasts, or Spotify.