New Boston Red Sox pitcher Collin McHugh has an inside perspective on the 2017 Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal.
And he's not afraid to share it.
The veteran right-hander, who signed with the Red Sox on Thursday after a six-year tenure with the Astros, suggested both he and his former Houston teammates were culpable in not speaking up about Houston's illegal operation.
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"You've got to be willing to stick up for what you believe in and what you believe is right and what you believe is wrong," McHugh told reporters Friday at Red Sox spring training, via ESPN.com. "And I think a lot of the guys on that team, including myself, are looking back now and wishing we had been as brave in the moment as we thought we were beforehand."
The Astros used an elaborate setup involving a video monitor and trash cans to relay signs to their hitters, who put up historic numbers en route to Houston winning the 2017 World Series.
As a pitcher, McHugh can understand why the Astros' opponents feel cheated.
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"To put myself in the shoes of the guys who pitched against us in 2017 and to know that our hitters made that job that much harder that year -- it's hard to swallow," McHugh added. "And I feel for them and I understand the anger and I understand when people are mad and pissed off.
" ... I know what it feels like to be out there and feel like a team has your signs. It's a lonely place."
McHugh's teammate on that 2017 squad, Mike Fiers, finally blew the whistle on the Astros' operation in late 2019, leading to general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch losing their jobs.
David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez are among those who have criticized Fiers for waiting so long to expose his (former) team. It sounds like McHugh agrees with that criticism ... to a certain extent.
"Looking back, I don't know what we could have done as pitchers," McHugh said. "It wasn't really our territory. Maybe we could've gotten together and somehow tried to stop it. Yeah, it was tough watching that."
McHugh joins a team that's involved in its own sign-stealing scandal: Major League Baseball is (still) investigating the 2018 Red Sox for illegally using video replay to steal signs.