Jeff Luhnow’s excuse for the Houston Astros filming the Boston Red Sox’s and Cleveland Indians’ dugouts during the playoffs sounded like a burglar who claims he had to steal in order to survive.
The Astros general manager told reporters Wednesday that his club was “playing defense” and just wanted to make sure there was nothing nefarious going on with their opponents.
That didn’t sit well with Dave Dombrowski.
The Red Sox president of baseball operations responded to the insinuation that his team might be using video technology to steal signs.
“I’m not angry,” Dombrowski said. “I’m just upset, I don’t like the implication that we were doing something that they were checking on when they were actually, don’t forget, they were the ones who created a false credential, or asked for a credential, of somebody that’s not supposed to have one.
“The person is not an employee of the Houston Astros. That person was not supposed to be a credentialed person in that box. I know that for a fact. It’s a bad thing to put it upon our lap for me.”
Major League Baseball cleared the Astros of any wrongdoing, but Dombrowski isn’t so sure.
“To me, the answer to that is yes and no,” Dombrowski said, via WEEI. “Yes, I do not think that person in the camera well was stealing signs. So I understand that was resolved. No, in the sense that, first of all, there was a violation. A person was in a credential box that shouldn’t have been there. He wasn’t supposed to be there. Secondly, I don’t like the implication that the Boston Red Sox were doing anything illegal.
“And so, I don’t think that the issue is actually closed for Major League Baseball from what I’ve been advised from the Commissioner’s Office. So there’s a lot more steps that are attached to this. So yes, I think it’s partially closed, but I don’t think it’s all the way closed.”
Houston was accused of placing an employee in the first base camera well to take pictures of the Red Sox dugout during Game 1 of the ALCS. Fenway Park security removed the employee from the camera well after receiving a tip from the Indians about the suspicious activity.
