LA Council Passes Resolution Demanding MLB Award 2017, 2018 World Series Titles To Dodgers Following Astros Cheating Scandal
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution asking for Major League Baseball to award the 2017 and 2018 World Series titles to the Dodgers after an investigation determined that the Houston Astros cheated by stealing signs both those seasons.
The resolution, which was introduced last week by councilmen Paul Koretz and Gilbert Cedillo, was passed Tuesday morning in the wake of the bombshell MLB investigation which determined that the Astros used camera technology to cheat that season by stealing signs.
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were both suspended for one year by the MLB after a Jan. 13 report confirmed that the Astros used center-field camera from the live game feed to communicate signs to players during both the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
The Astros beat the Dodgers in a grinding seven games to win the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium.
On Jan. 14, the Boston Red Sox announced that manager Alex Cora had resigned due to being heavily involved in the sign-stealing scheme while a bench coach in 2017 with the Astros. Cora managed the Red Sox in 2018, when they also defeated the Dodgers in a five-game World Series.
"Who was the best team in 2017?" Cedillo asked in a statement following Tuesday's vote. "Who was the best team in 2018? It was the Dodgers. They got beat by teams that were cheating. We know that the Astros cheated, and they were advantaged by it."
"This crisis goes beyond the sport and the game. It goes to the very core of being American," Cedillo went on. "This could send an important message to little boys and girls that you need to play hard by the rules, or you can learn that cheating is the new normal. We want it to be clear that this City spoke up for its team."
Cora has yet to be punished by the MLB, which is also investigating whether the Red Sox participated in a similar sign-stealing scheme.
Luhnow and Hinch were quickly fired by the Astros. The club was also fined $5 million and ordered to forfeit its first- and second-round draft picks for two years.
On Jan. 15, Carlos Beltran -- who played for the Astros in their 2017 title-winning season -- resigned as manager of the New York Mets without ever having coached a game.
In his resolution, Koretz also called on players who knew about the cheating but did not come forward about it to be held accountable.
The resolution does not call for legal action, but some Dodger fans are planning to sue the MLB for the money spent going to those games.
The Dodgers' last World Series title was in 1988.