Dusty Baker recently admitted he was embracing the villainous role he inherited when he was hired to manage the Houston Astros, given the team's sign-stealing scandal uncovered in the offseason.
Still, it appears some of the Astros players are getting fed up with some of the constant storylines about it … or at least the fake ones.
SNY Network’s Andy Martino tweeted Wednesday that the Astros are “focused, mad, and very into the idea of avenging themselves against what they consider haters.” Martino also named the A's as one of the teams that would want revengeagainst the Astros.
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Astros pitcher Lance McCullers responded by calling it “fake news,” and that the team’s only goal is trying to win during playoffs.
Outfielder Josh Reddick also said the claim was false:
A source close to the Astros also told NBC Sports California that's not the vibe the team has had in the clubhouse during the postseason. They just want to win.
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That being said, shortstop Carlos Correa did make headlines after the Astros swept the Twins in the AL Wild Card Series by calling out the haters.
“I know a lot of people are mad. I know a lot of people don’t want to see us here, but what are they going to say now,” Correa said last week.
It was unearthed during the offseason the Astros would steal signs electronically during their 2017 World Series run. That obviously created a lot negative attention toward the team, but regardless, their players appear to be fully in postseason mode.
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It appears the Astros are simply trying to play the game once again. But regardless, people won't forget what they did, and the storylines -- fake news or not -- certainly will continue to persist.