DUNEDIN, Fla. — There are no asterisks in the clubhouse or on the field. After Brian Cashman said there should be an asterisk on the Bombers’ 12-year World Series drought because the 2017 Astros cheated, the face of the franchise disagreed.
“We just, we didn’t win, you know,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said Sunday morning. “In my book, we didn’t win so that doesn’t count in my book. We didn’t win so I can’t take credit for it.”
The Yankees GM told The Athletic that the Yankees, who haven’t been to a World Series since 2009, should have that asterisk because they faced the Astros in 2017 ALCS who were using their video room to not only electronically steal signs, but illegally relay them in real time to hitters in the box. The Red Sox and Dodgers, who also lost to the Astros in the playoffs that year, have since gone on to win a World Series.
The Yankees have had no qualms about bringing in players from that team, including the so-called architect of the scheme Carlos Beltran as an advisor and now as a broadcaster. Beltran will make his debut in the booth on Monday and will be the focus of a “Centerstage” episode that deals directly with the scandal that cost him the job as the Mets manager before he even got to address his first team at spring training.
“We all did what we did. Looking back today, we were wrong,” Beltran told “Centerstage” host Michael Kay. “I wish I would’ve asked more questions about what we were doing. I wish the organization would’ve said to us, ‘Hey man, what you guys are doing, we need to stop this.’
“Nobody really said anything. We’re winning, you know, and some days our system really worked. Some days [it] didn’t really work… but we had a good team, Michael. We had such a good team.”
Betran, who was the only player on that 2017 Astros team who was named in the MLB commissioner’s report and paid any price for his part, is welcome in the Yankees clubhouse, Judge said.
“I’d love to talk to him. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him, but I’m just getting a chance to catch up with him and see what he’s up to, because we’re gonna be seeing a lot of him during the year,” Judge said. “So just looking forward to having him back around because he was a big part of this team, a big part of baseball, what he brings to the game and what he’s gonna bring to the YES Network is going to be big time. So just just looking forward to catching up with him.”
Judge and the Yankees were vocally upset with the 2017 Astros when the report came out in spring of 2020. In fact, Judge said their World Series trophy meant very little since they cheated to get it.
He is over it now.
“I can’t speak for the whole group, but like I said, I think the things that we got to focus on this year and the things we got to do this year are more important than anything that happened in the past,” Judge said.
He has never sought out Beltran for an apology or explanation.
“I don’t really see the need to getting into that,” Judge said. “We got a lot of important things, a lot of good things going on this year. So I’m just gonna focus on all you can do with that. If he sees anything obvious, he’s a great baseball mind. If he’s got any advice, if he can help us. And I’ll definitely be talking to him.”
Judge has nothing but respect for the veteran Beltran, who will be around the team as part of his YES Network broadcasting duties this season.
“He helped me a lot during his time here as a player,” Judge added, “learned a lot of good lessons, he spent a lot a lot of quality time just kind of talking to me about the game, the mental side of the game, his approaches, and how to be a good teammate. So in my opinion, I don’t think he needs to say anything to us.”
