Brian Cashman blames ‘horrific’ Astros for Yankees’ World Series drought

Don’t tell Brian Cashman the Yankees are in a World Series drought, even if they haven’t been to a World Series since 2009.

The general manager spoke out again about the 2017 Astros who knocked off the Yankees in the ALCS on their way to a title before Houston was found to have engaged in an illegal sign-stealing scheme during its championship run.

Cashman said the scandal not only makes Houston’s title illegitimate, but also was the lone reason the Yankees didn’t at least reach the World Series that season.

After initially expressing his frustration in an interview with The Athletic, the Yankees general manager doubled down on Thursday, also noting the alleged use of sticky stuff by their pitchers during that time.

“We had a World Series-contending team that year,’’ Cashman told The Post of 2017. “Every year, we’re building a World Series-contending team, obviously, but I think we built a team that more than likely would have won that season. I’m surprised we got as far as we did given what they did.

“[Houston] had an advantage on both sides of the ball, and despite that we got to Game 7 [of the ALCS] and got eliminated from World Series contention in a series that would have more likely than not gone the other way. I think we all think that. I think that’s the only thing that stopped us. … I feel like I can technically put ‘American League champion’ on that season.”

And that’s why he disagrees that the Yankees are in a World Series drought.

“I technically don’t consider us having a drought that goes back that far,’’ Cashman said. “When people write that, the context should be more accurate because it’s almost like people have forgotten what happened in ’17. They might not care to dwell on it — and I don’t like to, either — but I don’t think it’s accurate.’’

As he told The Athletic, “The only thing that stopped us [in 2017] was something that was so illegal and horrific. … The only thing that derailed us was a cheating circumstance that threw us off.”

It’s not the first time Cashman has called out the Astros’ scandal for stopping the Yankees from having a chance to win their 28th title by knocking them off in the ALCS.

When Masahiro Tanaka left the Yankees and signed to pitch back in Japan, Cashman said Houston’s “shenanigans” prevented Tanaka and the Yankees from getting into the Series in ’17.

“He came over to the United States to play and compete and to perform at the major league level and ultimately, by doing so, getting a chance to compete in a World Series, and that was potentially stolen from him, that opportunity,” Cashman said at the time.

Cashman’s feelings didn’t stop him from signing Marwin Gonzalez to a minor league deal this spring. Gonzalez had a career-year in 2017, but Cashman said his history with that Houston team did not enter his mind when he decided to bring him in to compete for a utility role that he appears set to win.

“I just looked to see what was available [on the market] that makes sense in my world, and if it has a chance to make us better, I’ll take a look at it,’’ Cashman said of signing Gonzalez.

Another key member of that team, Carlos Beltran, is set to start as an analyst for the YES Network this season.

The Yankees are also fighting to keep a letter from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to Cashman in 2017 regarding the team’s alleged involvement in sign-stealing from being made public, but sources said the Yankees’ attempt at keeping the letter — which stemmed from the investigation into the Red Sox “AppleWatchGate” scandal — private is that the team doesn’t believe its reputation should be harmed due to a lawsuit that didn’t involve the Yankees.