Derek Jeter had countless chances to cheat. He played in the heart of the Steroid Era. He had several teammates — and several more we likely don’t know of — who used performance-enhancing drugs.
So, nothing about the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal came as a surprise to him.
“When you talk about people trying to get an edge in baseball, I don’t think that’s anything new. People have been trying to do it for years,” Jeter told reporters Monday in Florida. “But, obviously, people took it way too far. And there are penalties for it. They’re paying the price.”
Unlike so many in the sport who’ve attacked the Astros and commissioner Rob Manfred, the Marlins part-owner chose his words as carefully as he did for two decades as the Yankees shortstop.
“Regardless of what the penalties are, others are going to have their opinions on what they think should happen,” Jeter said. “You hope that over time it passes, but I’m sure this is going to sting for a while.
“You hope at some point people can just move on. But, look, it’s unfortunate. It’s a black eye for the sport.”