The Houston Astros have become the heart of controversy in recent weeks, stemming from sign-stealing that occurred during the 2017 World Series run. The majority of Major League Baseball fans are focused on the punishments, but The Outsider star Jason Bateman has something else on his mind. He wants to see the small-screen adaptation of this scandal.
Speaking with reporters at the Television Critics Association, Bateman provided his thoughts on the cheating scandal. He is a diehard Los Angeles Dodgers fan and watched his favorite team lose to the Astros during the 2017 World Series.
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“I want to use our last three minutes wisely, and I could spend 30 on that,” Bateman said at the panel, per USA Today. “Needless to say, it was a painful Dodgers loss two years ago. Who knows how that would have turned out, who knows how that whole season would have turned out for the Astros? Would they have even been there? I don’t know.”
As the actor explained, stealing signs in baseball is nothing new. He was just fascinated by the process and how the Astros achieved this cheating. Specifically, he was fascinated by the combination of cameras, monitors, and trash cans. Using technology to capture the signals and then transmitting them by banging on trash cans was just an odd mix to the actor.
“Look, people have been stealing signs since the start of baseball, so it is somewhat established,” Bateman said. “The fact that they had a system like that as high tech in some parts and as janky in others would probably lend itself well to a script adaptation.”
MLB handed down harsh punishments to the Astros for the sign-stealing. Manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were both suspended for one year. They were also fired by the Astros. Additionally, fined the team $5 million and took away first- and second-round draft picks in 2020-2021.
This punishment was viewed as surprising by some and lenient by others, but Bateman did not provide his thoughts on the specific details. Instead, he simply mentioned that it would be fascinating to see the drama play out on TV.
Right now, however, his priorities lie in supporting his favorite team. Bateman believes that his beloved Dodgers will be back in the World Series following the 2020 season and will be successful. If the path to the championship title goes through Houston, he believes the Dodgers will be prepared for the challenge.
“We’ll get ’em next year,” Bateman said.
(Photo Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Turner)
