Getty Image
It appears as though we can add the Los Angeles Angels organization to the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox who have had issues with cheating.
On Thursday, the Angels fired veteran visiting clubhouse manager Brian Harkins for allegedly furnishing illegal substances to put on baseballs, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Angels executives confirmed Harkins’ firing but did not elaborate, citing legal restrictions that prevent them from discussing employment matters. It is unclear whether he was assisting visiting teams or the Angels with illegal substances.
Harkins, known as Bubba, has tended to Angel Stadium visiting teams since 1990. He started his career with the Angels in 1981 as a batboy. He left after three seasons but returned as a clubhouse attendant in 1986.
The Times states that the reason for the clubhouse attendant’s firing was, in fact, for the substances and not over anything related to the grand jury investigation into the death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs.
Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer, long a vocal critic of cheating in Major League Baseball, has repeatedly over the past several years accused numerous pitchers of doctoring baseballs with illegal substances to increase spin rate. He even went so far as to state his belief that “over 69 percent” of MLB’s pitchers are cheating in this fashion.
If only there was just a really quick way to increase spin rate. Like what if you could trade for a player knowing that you could bump his spin rate a couple hundred rpm overnight…imagine the steals you could get on the trade market! If only that existed…
— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) May 1, 2018
Bauer has also alluded that the Houston Astros pitchers were some of the biggest culprits, with Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton, Gerrit Cole, and Justin Verlander all becoming almost unhittable (or even more unhittable) after they joined the Astros
Bauer later walked that insinuation back (then later walked it right back to where he started) when Astros pitcher Lance McCullers, Jr. accused him of being jealous.
Since my phone is blowing up, if there are any more @astros players who want to hit me up to have a conversation on the phone, my agent is @AgentRachelLuba. She will be handling scheduling the rest of these appointments. Talk to y’all soon.
— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) February 15, 2020
Previously…
• The Astros Are Seriously Going To Hold A Public Ring Ceremony On Opening Weekend For Their ALCS Win
• Former Astros Player Ken Giles Says He’s Willing To Give Back His 2017 World Series Ring
• MLB Scout Says League Will Need ‘Riot Teams, SWAT’ To Protect The Astros In Their First Game At Yankees Stadium
• Red Sox Star J.D. Martinez Says Mike Fiers Warned Him About The Astros’ Cheating Before The 2018 ALCS
• Houston Astros File 26-Page Response To The First Of 7 Lawsuits: ‘Rule Infractions Will Occur During The Games’
• Astros Owner Jim Crane Sends Desperate-Sounding Letter To Season Ticket Holders Vowing To ‘Make Houston Proud Again’
• Astros Owner Jim Crane Actually Thought The Sign-Stealing Scandal Would ‘Blow Over’ By Spring Training: Report
• Astros Player When Asked How Things Are Going In Their Clubhouse Right Now: ‘It’s A (Bleeping) Mess’
• Alex Bregman Said In October His Favorite ‘Unwritten Rule’ Of Baseball Is Players Getting Drilled For ‘Stupid Stuff’
• Astros GM Admits Employees Tied To ‘Codebreaker’ Sign-Stealing Program Are Still Employed By The Team
• Mike Trout, Kris Bryant, Vlad Guerrero Jr. And More MLB Stars Make Bold Statements About Astros Scandal
• MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Passes The Buck Explaining Why He Didn’t Strip Astros Of World Series Title
• Angels Pitcher Goes On Epic Rant That Perfectly Encapsulates How Bad This Season Is Going To Be For Astros Players
• Carlos Beltran Reportedly ‘Steamrolled’ Any Astros Players Who Disagreed With The Team’s Sign-Stealing Scheme
• New Catalog Featuring Astros’ Alex Bregman Is Getting Destroyed For The Ironic Slogan On The Cover
• Agent Scott Boras Incredibly Says Houston Astros Players Shouldn’t Apologize For Sign-Stealing Scandal
• Wondering Why Astros Players Weren’t Punished By MLB? They Reportedly ‘Didn’t Know They Were In The Wrong’
• Former A’s Teammate Says Mike Fiers Told MLB Astros Began Cheating In 2014, Continued Into 2019
• 1993 Cy Young Winner Jack McDowell Says Tony LaRussa Stole Signs Using A Camera With The White Sox In The 1980s
• ESPN’s Jessica Mendoza Is Getting Dragged For Her Horrible Take That Mike Fiers Shouldn’t Have Outed The Astros
• Pete Rose Goes On Rant About Why The Astros’ Cheating Is Way Worse Than Him Betting On Baseball Games
• Mike Clevinger Puts Astros Pitcher Lance McCullers In A Body Bag After He Tries To Clap Back About Cheating