Sometimes, it’s difficult to remember what life was like before the coronavirus pandemic. Trevor Bauer supplied a reminder.
With a petty throwback to a more carefree version of 2020, when sign-stealing was baseball’s biggest concern, the Reds pitcher attempted to bring the Houston Astros’ scandal and their tainted 2017 title back into the spotlight.
As teams reconvened last week for spring training 2.0, Bauer tweeted a picture of himself wearing a shirt that reads “HOUSTON CHEATED,” “2017 CHUMPS” and “TRASH-TOWN.”
“Baseball is back everyone!! Intake testing done, lots of really high tech stuff goin on here but anything to help us win is in, right?!” Bauer wrote, with a not so subtle jab at Houston’s use of electronics to steal signs illegally when it won the World Series.
The Astros cheating scandal had taken a back seat to the battle between the owners and players union, which combined with coronavirus, led to a three-month postponement of Opening Day.
Due to the shortened 60-game regular season, which is set to begin later this month, the Reds could only face the Astros in the World Series.