Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow (LOO’-now) have been fired. The dismissals follow their suspension by Major League Baseball for the team’s use of electronics for sign-stealing during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season. Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline and strongly hinted that former Houston bench coach and current Boston manager Alex Cora will face equal or more severe punishment, saying Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros and used one with the Red Sox.
As part of the league’s penalty, the Astros will also lose first- and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021, and the organization was fined a record $5 million. MLB said in its statement that if Luhnow or Hinch “engage in any future material violations” of MLB rules, they will be placed on the league’s permanently ineligible list.