Former Astros player ‘remorseful’ for sign-stealing scheme

Former Houston Astros player Marwin Gonzalez apologized Tuesday for the sign-stealing scheme used during the team’s 2017 championship season.

“I’m remorseful for everything that happened in 2017, everything that we did as a group and the players that were affected directly by us doing this,” Gonzalez told reporters.

“I wish we could take it back and do it a different way but there’s nothing we can do,” said Gonzalez, who now plays for the Minnesota Twins.

Major League Baseball found the Astros illegally created a system that decoded and communicated the opposing teams’ pitching signs. As a result, manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended without pay for a season. Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane later fired them both.

Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Mike Bolsinger filed a lawsuit against the Astros Monday, claiming the scheme is why his career was cut short after a game in August 2017 in which he gave up four runs against the Astros.

Asked whether the Astros would have won the World Series without the scheme, Gonazlez said: “That’s hard to know; you’re never going to know.”

“That was a great team, great guys too, beside everything that happened…but it’s hard to answer that question,” Gonzalez said.

In 2017, Gonzalez batted .303 with 23 home runs and 90 RBIs in the regular season. He hit a game-tying homer in the 9th inning off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kenley Jansen in Game 2 of the World Series, his first career postseason homer.

Gonzalez left the Astros following the 2018 season and signed with the Twins last season, when he batted .264, hit 15 home runs and drove in 55 runs.