Stolen Signs: Astros 2017 World Series Banner Goes Missing

The banner commemorating the Astros’ 2017 World Series “victory’ has gone missing from the plaza outside Minute Maid Park in Houston.

The banner had been mounted to a flagpole in the plaza but was noticed missing and appears to have been pried from the pole. According to KHOU 11, the team is “looking into the matter.”

Former Astros GM Jeff Luhnow (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

The Astros were declared the winner of the 2017 series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a feat they were predicted to accomplish three years prior in a now-infamous Sports Illustrated cover story. However, in 2019, former Astros reliever Mike Fiers told The Athletic that the Astros had employed an illegal sign-stealing scheme using a camera in centerfield.

Specifically, Fiers named Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran as the scheme’s organizers.

Former Astros coach Alex Cora was suspended for his role in the scandal (Getty Images)

A subsequent MLB investigation revealed that the Astros had indeed run a sign-stealing system utilizing a centerfield camera to steal signs and the coded banging of a garbage can to warn hitters of the type of pitch that was on the way. The scheme was used not just during the regular season but through the World Series.

The Astros manger, general manager, and several other key management figures were fired or penalized for their role in the scandal. However, even though the investigation revealed that it had been a player-run cheating scheme, no players from the 2017 roster were disciplined.

It seems as though someone felt some additional punishment was in order.