Beltran says Astros' 2017 World Series title 'stained' by sign-stealing scandal
'We did cross the line,' ex-player-turned Yankees TV analyst tells YES Network
Former Houston player and new Yankees TV analyst Carlos Beltran conceded the Astros' 2017 World Series title is "stained" by the sign-stealing scandal that roiled Major League Baseball.
Beltran made the comments in an interview with YES Network that airs Monday, coinciding with Beltran's first day on the job covering the New York Yankees for the network.
Beltran was a player on the Astros in 2017 -- his 20th and final major-league season -- and appeared in 129 games, hitting .231 with 14 home runs.
"Looking back now, yes, we did cross the line," Beltran told Michael Kay of YES in the interview.
Beltran responded affirmatively when asked by Kay if the Astros' title is stained.
"Yeah, there is because, you know what we did," Beltran said. "And we all have taken responsibility and at some point, we all have shown remorse about what we did."
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'Looking back … we were wrong'
Beltran lost out on managing the New York Mets over the scandal. He was hired in November 2019 and let go in January 2020 when his part in the scandal was revealed in an MLB report. He was the only player named in the report because he was "a central figure in conceiving the scheme," The New York Times reported at the time.
"We all did what we did," Beltran said. "Looking back today, we were wrong. I wish I would've asked more questions about what we were doing. I wish the organization would've said to us, 'Hey man, what you guys are doing, we need to stop this.'"
The Astros' defeated the Yankees in seven games in the American League Championship Series and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, also in seven games.
"Nobody said anything to us, you know, nobody said anything. I wish somebody would've said something," Beltran, 44, said. "A lot of people always ask me why you didn't stop it. And my answer is, 'I didn't stop it the same way no one stopped it.' This is working for us. Why you gonna stop something that is working for you? So, if the organization would've said something to us, we would've stopped it for sure."
In 2,586 career games, Beltran hit 435 home runs, drove in 1,587 runs and won three Gold Gloves. His career stolen base success rate of 86.4 per cent is the highest of any player in history with at least 300 steals.
