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Boston Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez was college teammates with Astros’ whistleblower Mike Fiers during their time Nova Southeastern University and are the two remain good friends to this day.
Martinez also played for the Houston Astros during his first three seasons in the Major Leagues, so naturally when Fiers blew the lid off the Astros’ cheating their way to the 2017 World Series title the friends spoke and Martinez expressed his support for his former teammate.
“Sucks for him. I’ve talked to him about,” Martinez told MassLive. “I understand his side of it. I understand his side of it, being in that division and going against those guys. It’s one of those things where it’s an uncomfortable position for him. I understand why he did what he did.”
Now, with Martinez’s team, the Red Sox, soon to receive their punishment for their sign-stealing indiscretions (don’t expect it to amount to much), the Boston DH has also revealed to WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria” show that Fiers alerted him to the Astros’ cheating before the 2018 American League Championship Series.
“You can put me on any lie detector. You can put me on anything,” Martinez told the show. “Alex Cora never influenced us and never told us about that thing. The only way I ever found out was in the playoffs was when Fiers, who is a really good friend of mine, reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, make sure you’re doing this because this, because this is what these guys are doing in the playoffs.’ I was like, ‘What? How is this a thing?’ And then I mentioned it to (Cora) and he told kind of me about the whole system and everything like that. That was kind of why it was so crazy. (Cora) was so relaxed going into those playoff games because he knew and we were ready for it.”
Pitcher Ryan Buchter, who played the last two seasons alongside Fiers on the Oakland A’s, said Fiers told him privately that the Houston Astros began their illegal sign-stealing way back in 2014 and that it was still happening during the 2019 season, despite their and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s repeated refrain that the Astros “only” cheated in 2017, including during the postseason.
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Previously…
• 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