Are The Astros Finding Their Legs?

On the 19th of October 2019, the Houston Astros defeated the New York Yankees in the American League Champion Series to enter into the 2019 World Series against the NLCS winner, Washington Nationals. Later that night, Brandon Taubman shouted to a small group of female reporters how glad he was they picked up Roberto Osuna.

It isn’t what Taubman said but how he said and why he said it. There was no reason for him to say it. So, it left the female reporters who it was directed to that he was referring to the domestic violence issue that Osuna found himself embroiled in earlier this year. Add the fact that one of the reporters was wearing a remembrance bracelet for domestic violence, and Taubman did not direct it to male reporters.

To make matters worse, the Houston Astros issued a statement that the female reporter, Stephanie Apstein, who wrote an article on the situation for Sports Illustrated basically fabricated the story . . . they basically tried to have industry professionals and fans alike question her credibility. Thankfully, there were other witnesses to the situation including men who did the right thing and spoke up.

We have drama, but how will the drama affect the Astros? In the first two games, the Astros lost to the Washington Nationals. Most definitely, the Astros seemed distracted.

Then, the Astros tried to explain away the statement by stating it was a non-issue blown out of proportion. The Astros continued to investigate the situation. The MLB stepped in to investigate as well. The result ended up being Taubman was fired. The owner, Jim Crane, wrote an apology to Apstein and the Houston Astros retract the accusation that Apstein lied about the clubhouse incident.

Now, it appears as karma is warmly smiling on the Astros. After the firing, they have won the last 3 games in Washington. Currently, the Houston Astros are leading the Washington Nationals 2-1 in Houston at the top of the fourth inning.

Is the drama over? Sure looks like it, but we will find out tonight. If not tonight, we will most definitely know by tomorrow.