Houston Astros: Caught Stealing | Dark Arts | 3
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It's spring two thousand and seventeen in houston, texas. The asteroid new bench coach ax cora is hurrying down a windows corredor inside minute maid park. The team is set to take the field in a few hours, and cora is already in his White astros s uniform, but before the game starts, he needs to visit the video replay room, which is located deep within the bowls of the ballpark.

The league ordered teams to install these replay rooms just a few years ago, so teams can use instant replace to chAllenge empires rulings on the field. But the astro, like other teams in the league, soon realized that the replay room presented additional opportunities during a game for the first few weeks of the season, they've had one of their stadium's cameras focus early on. The opposing teams, catcher and someone in the video room has logged and decoded his signs using code breaker, the astro secret catalogue.

Opposing teams hand cycles for different pitches, and for the past several games, the ao have been experimenting with how to relay these signs to their hitters. But so far the process has been slow and commerce. Someone from the replay room has to call cora in the dog out on a phone that rings loudly and tell him the sign sequence.

Then someone in the dugout has to use hand signals to relay e the signs to a runner on second base, who has to then signal to the batter what pitch is coming. It's convoluted and kora is a unhappy with the system. So he's heading to the replay room to talk with a man who is usually on the other end of the dog out phone, tom coke vasa, who is in charge of gathering data about opposing teams.

Core a step through the half, open door to the video replay room and coke baie, or leans back in his chair to see who's there. TV monitors glow in front of them, showing footage of a recent astros s game from several different cameras. Hey, tom, got to meet always. alex.

What brings you this humble quarter a minute? Made part. I want to talk about the size. sure. What's on your mind? Well, for wounding the phones, to dame loud and that rangers like something out the eighties.

And no, I mean, you can hear IT from the field and people are starting to look over and wondering ing why i'm getting so many calls. We got to dress up the nose. Well, we could go back to the apple watch.

Now that was obvious. Two plus, it's all too many extra steps by the time the hair gets the science. He's already got two strikes against him.

Yeah, just don't know if there's any other way to signal fast enough. I still got to send the signs through the dugout and by then the pitchers already onto his next pitch. No, no.

I think our set up here in the stadium isn't helping them. You know, where the yankees have their replyed right behind a dog out. If they need to relay information, they don't have to make a long distance call to do IT.

Yeah, that must be nice, right? I mean, for all we know, they are sending science directly to the heater. Meanwhile, our replay room is back behind the clubhouse.

I think we're at a disadventure ge here. Well, how do we make our system more efficient? Well, I have an idea.

What if we set up a monitor closer to the duck out, like right behind the dog in the tunnel? Yeah, IT doesn't need to be fancy, just a monitor on a table or something, if you like our own little mini replay of make sense. But how can I explain meeting at TV near the dog out? IT doesn't have an obvious purpose.

I guess if anyone asks, tell them it's for players to look at their own, you know, also so they can make in game adjustments. Wow, yes, that's what we're trying to do, make in game adjustments. All right.

Well, I run IT up the chain and see what happens. Chora, thanks, coke. baza. And as he turns to head back to the dugout, he feels a new spring and step.

Soon, coras players will be able to see a closer, high definition view of the other team signs whenever they want during games. And with help from their code brokers beddy, they'll be able to decipher those signs. IT could be just the edge they need to make IT to the playoffs, maybe even the word series.

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From wandering island's y gram. And this is american scandal.

By the end of the two thousand and sixteen season, the once ridiculed houston astros have become a winning team, thanks to a culture focused on innovation, especially when I came to using data and technology to gain competitive advantage. General manager jeff lu N.

O through on his business background to bring a monet's all approach to the astro, using analytics to identify undervalued players and new technologies like high speed cameras to help those players improve their pitches and swings to baseball periods. Luna's methods were controversial. What they did produce results, and going into the two thousand and seventeen season, luna believe the astro were poised to make a world series run.

So before the season kicked off, luna, his front office and his coaching staff got to work, adding some final pieces to the team they hired, former player and E S P N analyst alex core as their bench coach and sign veterans like Carlos beltron to add depth and experience ed to the team. Chora and beltron were two of the games brighter st. Mind, and both were experts at signs deal.

They also had both adapted to the new realities of baseball's high tech era, when players found themselves with access to smart watches, high definition cameras and video replay rooms, all of which which could be leveraged to take sign stealing to another level. Other teams were already pushing boundaries with electronic science, dealing with too many players occupied a gray area in the games rules. IT was technically illegal to use any on the field technology to help decode catch er side.

But major league baseball had Mandated the installation of video replay rooms in every ball part and those were off the field. Some felt that surely the league did not expect players and coaches to ignore how these replay rooms could be used to analyze other team sites to beltron, cora and many other teammates. The astro needed to get on board with science dealing for the two thousand and seventeen season and use all the tools at their disposal to maximize results.

They suspected that other teams, like the yankees and red socks, we're already using technology in creative new ways. So if the astro wanted a real chance hat or championship, they needed to keep pace. This is episode three, dark arts.

It's spring two thousand and seventeen. Inside minute maid park, antonio, pa. Dia Carries a large seal cardboard box into the court, or just behind the astro o's dug out.

He sets the box on the concrete floor, cuts through the tape and carefully slides out a new flat screen. TV idea isn't sure what the TV is for, and he hasn't asked. As one of the Youngest employees in the asteroids video replay room, some things are above his pay grade.

But now, as pedia wraps the tvs cables, he tries to make a few guessers about what IT might be used for. He knows that can be hard to see the field from the back of the dog. Ga, so maybe this is just a way for more players to watch the game, or maybe it's to speed up instant replay reviews. But he doesn't want to ask too many questions at this point.

All he knows is that the request to install IT came from the aster's bench coach, Alice cora, and that's enough for him because if he makes a good impression with cora and the other arrows coaches and players and helps the team do whatever IT takes to win more games could be something in IT for him, not just a promotion, but potentially a bonus. If the actors make IT to the playoffs, can earn a lot of extra money from poses and ticket sales, and teams often knows some of that money to pay bonuses to select club house employees. But dear knows that a playoff bonus can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

His salaries is only forty five thousand dollars a year, so that kind of money would be life changing. So pedia hosts the TV monitor onto a folding table against the wall, which is painted bright astro S. S.

orange. And he squats down to plug the power cord into an outlet. He stands back, turns A T, V. On monitor, glows to life. For now, it's just a blank blue screen.

Someone else will have to come by connect the T, V, so that the team can see whichever ver camera angles are hoping to see. But pd is part of the job is done and soon enough you'll find out what what this mysterious st new monitor is for. It's unclear how many people within the asteroid organization understand the new tb monitor's actual purpose, but soon he becomes the focal point of the teams obsession with science dealing.

The monitor is hooked up to the center field camera, giving the astro S A live feed of the opposing catcher signs, just steps from their dog out during home games, massage beds and folding chairs are placed near the monitor, and different players and staff members are assigned to sit there watching the catchers hands, signals and decoding them in real time. And now that the team no longer has to wait to get sign from the video replay room deep in the bows of the stadium, there are also no longer reliant on having a runner on second to relay signs to the hitter. Instead, they began to experiment with other ways to relay signs directly from the dog out to the batter, so he knows what's coming with every pitch.

This gives many astro hitters a new confidence of the plate, and their opponents start to take notice in late may two thousand seventeen, the astro sweep, but three games series against the bolt, more oils, their hitters dominate orals pitches. So thirdly, that by the end of the final game, mult mores veteran manager buckshot walter has grown suspicious shoe. Walter has been a big league manager for nineteen seasons and approaches games with nearly a six sense.

And that sense tells them something isn't right. So as soon as he gets back to balt, mr. IT calls a meeting with orioles general manager dan to cat to discuss what went wrong.

They sit down together into cats office or we're looking the field at canton yards. The warriors home ballpark now looked down. I'm not trying to make excuses for three straight losses, but he was pretty clear to me that the astro has had our signs.

I had the same thought. Asha had good stuff last night. He didn't make sense to me that they tag them for six rounds and two winning yeah.

And I was looking to see how they're doing IT. I get that other teams might steal our science. That's part of the game. But what bothered me is that I couldn't figure out how the astros were doing every time, even without one on second.

I mean, to track what we were doing that closely, they would have had to have someone camped out on second based on a long chair. Well, so maybe they weren't stealing signs. Maybe was something else I thought about that too minute, make park as those new, super bright L, D lights in the alfio.

Maybe their eyes were just Better adjust that they could pick up on pictures Better. But now I don't think that's yet. And who knows? But IT didn't seem right.

How's asha hold enough rest of the pitching staff? Well, they were pretty Randalls. I meyo be OK.

I did tell them we need to change of our signs more often. Thanks blud. You let me know if you hear anything else. So about the astra, if they're up to something, I want to know what IT is before we play them again or you bet i'll keeping in around. Show authorities walks out of his games office.

He knows he needs to focus on getting his players ready to face the yankees tonight, and in order to do that, he's gonna have to help them shake off their experience in houston. But questions around what the across we're doing are still turning in his mind. And despite decades of experience and majority baseball, so walter can't think of any answers.

In order to relay stolen science to their hitters and evade the notice of savi opponents like oy's manager buck showers, the houston astro landed on a simple, very low tax solution. All the required was a baseball that and a trash can during home games, an astro's player or staff member would stand in front of the TV monitor behind the dog out watching a center field feed of the opposing teams catcher. Once they had the signs, someone would use a baseball back to bang on a nearby plastic trash can loud enough that the aos hitter could hear the signal over the crown.

One or two banks met. A change up is kind. No banks means the pitch is about to throw a fast ball. The trash can system is not perfect.

For one thing, IT only works at home games where the asteroid players have access to their dog at monitor, and some hitters don't think the system is precise enough to make much of a difference. The banks don't tell them anything about a pitches location only at speed, but still, many of the arrows believe to give them an advantage of the plate. And soon the trash can becomes a regular part of their home game routine.

But regardless of whether players think the trh kane system is working or not, one person who doesn't seem to have an opinion is the team's general manager, jeff luna, some members of the asteroids organization who are in on the scheme begin to wonder if lino is even aware that is going on. Usually baseball gms don't sit anywhere near the dugout. Some don't even attend the games at all.

So it's possible that luna is just out of the loop. But in the video replay room, tom coke vasa is doing his best to keep luna inform twice. After long road trips, he emails, you know, detailed notes about the teams overall performance and in his emails, without going into too much detail, he references the video monitor and track cane Operation, calling IT the system and our dark hearts sign stealing department.

But when luna responds to these emails, he never asks for more information about the system or clarification about how the astro s are stealing science. So later in the season, when luna knocks on the door, the video replay room during a game code, vasa still isn't sure how much luna knows about the science dealing Operation. When he pops his heading into the replay room, luna says he's simply making the rounds so coke baza and vice man to have a look around and tells lunny to let them know if he has any questions about the way anything works.

Luna nods, turns to the bank of monitors, which are beaming live footage from seemingly every angle in this stadium, coke vasa watches as the gms eyes move from the monitors to the guy seated in front of them. Some of them, with laptop computers, blame the code break or spreading. Y when luna seize this breed chy, he turns to code vasa and asks if they're code breaking.

Right now for a moment, coke vasa hesitate. Luna can be hard to read, and coke vasa still can't tell how much luna knows about the science dealing, Operation, or even whether or not he approves of IT. So coke baiser isn't sure how much he should reveal about the inner workings of the scheme.

Finally, he just gives luna a strong nod and tells him, yes, they're doing what they can. Coke baza feels a sense of relief when he sees luna smile. Then luna tells you guys in the replay room to keep up the good war.

He raps his nuckles on the door frame and leaps. Everything they're doing seems to be working, including using the replay room and video monitor behind the dog out to steal signs. And IT shore seems to code vasa like they just got jeff luna s blessing to keep on code breaking.

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By the end of july two thousand and seventeen, the astro are one of the most dominant teams in the league, winning two out of three games, and have a sixteen game lead over the nearest competitor in their division to the members of the team have embraced the tracking system. This record is evidence that their sign stealing strategy is producing results. Even so, not everyone in the dog out is happy about IT.

Astro's manager A J. Hinch doesn't approve of the illicit science stealing efforts, but he's afraid to shut IT down. Anchises only ever served as a manager one other time in his career, and that job did not end well, in part because hinch wasn't able to earn the respect of his club house back in two thousand and nine.

After a successful career as a catcher in front of the executive, hinch had been hired to manage the erosion, a diamond backs, and at just thirty four years old, hinch was the Youngest manager in the league by far, and the veteran members of the team weren't especially interested in hearing what he had to say. Wonder hunches, leadership, the diamond s posted their lowest winning percentage franchise history and hence was fired after just one season. Now more than a decade later, hinch still struggles to maintain authority and the duga, especially when IT comes to disagree em with Better and player Carlos beltron, whose only three years Younger than edge and already has a hall of fame or the career.

So for hinch, going against beltron risk turning the whole team against him. So instead of confronting the sign stealing issue directly, he educ casion ally just asks his players to quit with the banging or motors to fellow coaches that he wishes they wouldn't do that. And even among the players who do support the science dealing Operation, there's disagreement about how much the trash can scheme has improved their hitting.

Some players think that the banging is just a distraction. One of the players who feels this way is astro second basement hoa l two be since joining houston in two thousand eleven, all tuba has proven himself to be a formidable heater. Despite being undersize for a major league during the two thousand and sixteen season, he LED the american league with a three thirty eight banning image, including a career high twenty four runs in two thousand and seventeen.

He's on trying to put up even bigger numbers. But in the middle of the season, during one asteroid home game, i'll two, they find themselves struggling to focus at the play. He raises his bat, looks over his left shoulder toward the pitcher, and then he hears a banging, banging from the dog, A A slow moving changer.

Sales toward him. He hesitated, then decides not to swing. But the pitch tumbles right over the plate.

And the empire, called strike one all two way, shoots a dirty look at the astro s. Dog out and steps back into the batters box. He gazes out of the pitcher who winds up and throws again.

This time is a fast ball. Now two way swings, but misses for strike too. On two way then stretches his neck and tries to settle himself. He's faced this pitch before, and he knows his tendencies.

And now that he has a chance to finish all two day off, you'll probably come back with another fast ball picture goes into his wind up. Tubed clutches his band. He watches the ball come off the pitcher's fingers, and just as IT does, he hears another two banks trying to calculate what that means in his head.

I'll two way swings to have second too early. And this is the pitch for strike rate. Now to the marches back to the dog out, trying to mask his frustration. But the second he's out of view of the fans, he glared at his astro o's key mates before continuing into the tunnel behind the dog out where another teammate at is standing from the T. V.

Monitor, a baseball battle in his hand and the trash can at the ready to be snaps to stop IT with a banging when he's at ba t, he can hit just fine without IT player cheaper. Sly nods and promises IT won't happen again. But for the rest of the game, when other guys go to hit, how to be continues to hear that hollow, banging sound.

He doesn't begrudge his teammates doing whatever they think they need to do to gain advantage, but he wants no part of IT. While the astro s hitters continue to debate whether the trash can scheme is actually helping their game, the teams s pitchers are having their own tough conversations about science dealing. For many in the astro o's bullpen, it's difficult to watch a fellow pitch, even an opponent, face hitters who know what pitches coming.

IT puts even the best pictures at a disadvantage, and for some, gives batteries an unBeatable edge. In one August game against the toronto blue chase, astro's hitters humiliate opposing relief pitter mike bolinger, who gives up four runs, three hits and three walks while just getting one hit around. Bolsin er loses his job after that game and never pitches in the major leagues again.

So many astros pitchers know that if they were in that position, they be live IT. Still no one speaks up or tries to put a stop to the trash cans scheme. They may well feel bad for opposing pictures, but the pressure to close ranks and cover for their teammates outweighs any feelings of guilt.

Besides, most players and coaches on the aos feel certain that the other teams of the league must have similar Operations going to the astro s using their dog out monitor and trash gun system is just keeping up with the times. And the fact that they keep winning games is only proof that they occurred. Science stealing system is Better than anyone else at the moment.

Still, when the team brings in a new picture to strengthen their chances for a possible world series run, players are nervous about the way he'll react to the scheme, especially because they used IT on him. In August two thousand and seventeen, the astros acquire just in veranda and a late season trade with the detroit tigers. Berlin is considered one of the best pitchers in baseball.

He's pitch two no hitters and let the league and strike outs four times. But when he faced off against the asteroid earlier in the year, he pitched an uncharacteristic ally. Terrible game.

So now as the astro is prepare to welcome their new star pitch, they're little little of revealing how they were able to get the best of him. Verlander, for his part, has a settled quickly on a new team. With only a few weeks left in the season, he spent his whole career pitching for the tigers.

So when he enters the clubhouse locker room for the first time east, feeling some first day nerves. And immediately, veranda also clocks a strong energy in the room. The other players seem to be avoiding eye contact, and they are barely talking.

At first, verlander chocked up to hurricane Harry, which just ravaged houston with devastating floods. The astro had to move several home games to florida while the city cleaned up the damage. They're all probably still reeling from that.

But when his new teammates keep giving him the silent treatment, bender finally decides to try to break the ice. At a quiet moment in the locker, he speaks up, hey, hey, guys, yeah, if you would. I just want to say, you know, i'm happy to be here really now i'm even happier.

I don't want to pitch against you guys anymore. This gets a few chocolate, but most of the lock remains quiet until one player who is twisting a town around his hands walks out of very lander and reluctant speaks, hey, just been welcomed to the team. I'm sorry, some of us have been act and kind of wear.

I have to apologize. I mean, hurricane was hard on everyone. I'm sure a lot of your homes got flooded.

neighbors. It's not that we just don't know how to tell you. Tell me what? Well, when you pitched against this son, may we had your signs?

I knew something was up in that game. I couldn't figure out how you were doing. IT, though, knew what was coming, even when nobody was on second.

Yeah, we did. So how do you do? IT? What's the secret? Well, we've got a live video feed of the catcher set up near the duga.

When we see what he's signaling, we player hesitates and very different senses that whatever he's about to say next, he's not proud of. And you would be bang on a trash can to let our hit or know what pitches coming. Trash can yeah, one or two means something off speed.

No bangs means a possible. That's in. That's your system of trash can. And in but I mean, we were respective you though, and we're really happier here. Well, I guess we just didn't know how to come clean about.

I mean, you won't figured that out soon enough once you started hearing all the banging, right? Verlander leans against the locker and considers this. He thinks back to that week in may, and the tires lost three out of the four games against the astro S A minute made part.

He remembers the frustration he felt after what he thought was a bad performance, but then he just burst out laughing. Ten sneaky basis of flip and trash can, huh? I knew you guys wrote to something.

You not pissed name. You've got a hands as you guys. We were stopped. We had no idea, paul, pretty sure cleveland got something similar to go on.

Honestly, it's like if you don't have a system right now, you're screw right. And like I said, i'm glad I don't have to pitch against you anymore. Verlander starts to unpack his bag and change into his uniform.

The atmosphere in the room is shift. He can feel that his teammates look relieve not to be in trouble. But verlander has been around baseball long enough to know that teams push the rules to their limits.

He can remember the steroid hair when hitters use performance and handing drugs. He's even seeing pitchers, doctor balls and hitters alter their bats. And IT seems obvious.

Teams would start to use replay rooms to steal signs, even if this is the first time he's heard about at first time so far to be IT for him to judge. Besides, all he wants to do is wrap up the season with the astros on a high. Now, berliner has had a successful career so far, but like many guys on the team, he's yet to add a world serious Victory to his resume.

If the asters have a system that working, he's not going to be to want to stop in. American scandal is sponsored by uncommon goods Sparks, something uncommon. This holiday was just the right gift from uncommon goods, incredible handpick gifts for everyone on your list.

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As summer turns to fall in two thousand and seventeen, the houston astro continue to use their dog out, monitor and trh cane to relay stolen science to batters, but they are not the only team in the league taking advantage of electronic science dealing in early september two thousand seventeen, just one month before playoff s news breaks that the boston red socks have been using apple lotchen to communicate signs from their video replay room to the dugout.

According to reports, an investigation was launched after the G. M. Of the new york yankees reported the red socks to the commissioner of major league baseball, rob man friend.

Red socks quickly responded by filing a similar complaint against the yankees, and after the investigation, major league baseball determined that the yankees are also guilty of illegal sign stealing. Ultimately, neither team receives a severe punishment. Both are fine, small amounts, but no games are forfeited and no players or coaches are suspended. But the fine set a clear precedent.

For the first time, the commissioner has punished sign stealing schemes that involved the use of video replay rooms and in a memo sent to all thirty major league teams on september fifteenth, two thousand and seventeen, commissioner manfred reiterates that use of the replay room to decode signs during ames is considered cheating. He also vows to hand out harsher punishments for teams caught using video and other electronics to steal signs in the future. So when word of this warning reaches the astros s office is in houston and strikes fear into the hearts of some members of the club, including tom coke baza sitting at his desk reading through the commissioner's full memo.

Coke baza feels as police quicker. He knows the system he playfully calls the dark arts absolutely meets the criteria for illegal science dealing. And if manfred's memo is to be believed, the astro s can't afford to risk getting caught.

So cope baza rises from his desk, and anise sly walks over to the office of one of his. Hey, sorry, bother you so late, but I need to get your approval on something a tom was going on. He looks stressed.

That's just, I am. I mean, I am, but I can take you of IT. What is this about? I just think with everything going on, we have to stop code breaker like immediately.

So if we could just get everyone a line on that, what's wrong with coming last? I heard everyone seems to love IT. Well, they do.

But what exactly did you hear? You guys are having a great run using IT to figure out science sequences before games. You heard that we use code aker before games.

I guess sometimes after games, independent on when someone can watch tape and blog signs in in the spread. Gy, right. Well, so I don't think we have an issue here.

You worry about the man friend memo, but I mean, maybe not everyone in the front office is aware of this. But but we've also been using code aker during games the execute to fall silent for a moment, taking this in any looks down as some papers on his desk. And okay, well, thanks for bring this to my attention.

Don't don't mention IT anyone else. For now, I need to decide how best to handle. The executive doesn't look up again so coke base or mother and thank you and slings out of the office as he walked back to his desk, hope bazas mine races. He wonders if his boss really didn't know about the in game science stealing.

And if that's true, who else in the front office is unaware? Or maybe coke vases are just inadvertently broke a coto silence and ruined the plausible deniability the high erps could have claimed if the science stealing scheme gets exposed, all he really knows is that if the astro don't stop using code break er during games, this whole situation could cost the team dearly. At this moment in time, tom coke baza is not the only one trying to put a stop to illicit science stealing in the air.

As compound manager, A J H inches exasperation with the scheme is starting to boil over. On two separate occasions, he damages the T, V monitor near the dog a, but approves futile. After each episode, a new monitor is installed to replace the old one.

And hinch still never direct calls out any of the players or coaches involved. But then finally, at the end of september, the air s find themselves on the verge of getting caught red handed in a game against the chicago Whites socks admit made park. The astro s banging their trash can, signaling to hider evan geta that the White socks picture is about to throw a change up.

And for the first time all season, the opposing pitcher seems to hear the banging White socks. Pitcher danny fark war stepped off the mont to convene with his catch. And then when he returns to the mount, the astro noticed that the catcher is no longer throwing signals at all to the guys in the dog out.

This feels like proof that fark war has figured out what's the up to for a moment. There's panic, and the astro OS dogg, the players quickly take the TV monitor down, and the trash game goes silent for the rest of the game. But the astro face no questions about what happened at that game in september.

And for the remainder of the regular season, the astro barely used the trash. Canada, they don't really need to. They're so far ahead in the standings that they've already clinched a playoff spot. But after the far claw incident, they're also paranoid about getting caught. And then in the playoffs, first opponents are the boston red socks, and in the best of five series, the astro s come out on top next to the american league championship series, a seven game contest against the new york anche and again, the astro s are Victorious, defeating the yankee's four games at three. It's unclear whether the trash can was used in either of these series.

Later, some players would say they heard banging, while others deny IT also pointing out the teams use more complex signs in the post season that are harder to steal, and the crowd noise that sold out high stakes games would have drowned out the bank. But with or without the science dealing, the astros have won two straight playoff series, and now they have a chance to win the first world series in the franchise's history. For general manager jeff luna, all his hopes, dreams and strategic decision making have been leading to this moment.

Now it's up to the players to Carry the astros across the finish line and bring home the championship. The astro are up against the los Angeles dollars, and the series is a slugfest. The teams trade wins and losses until the series is tied at three games of peace.

Game seven, N, L, A, on november first will determine the winner. And in the first two innings, astro hitters jump all over the dodgers. A starter, u darnah, they score five runs and Carry a five to one lead into the linings.

And in the bottom of the night with two outs, astro second baseman hoes they all two bay lunches this glove and tries to calm his nerves. He cracked ches down, giving himself light on his feet and his focus. Sharm, now, two, they have spent his entire career with astra and seeing the team through its lowest moments.

They may be up four runs, but he's not going to relax until they've got that third and final out. He watches astura pictures, charlie mortimer, who stands on the mound staring over his globe at home plate dodgers stadium turns with a low roar of fans, puntuated by high pitch whistling. Then finally, morning winds up and throws for all tuba. It's as if time slows down.

The dodgers hitter swings heart, his body twisting, violent two v tracks the ball as IT comes off the hitters bat and bounced through the infield right towards him to be, then scooped the ball into his glove, then throws IT the first base where timing ulic oriel catches IT for out number three and before, although they can fully process what just happened, he realizes he's screaming with joy. His team made sprint toward each other, leaping through the air to embrace l two v racist to join them. A single finger raised in the sky.

They are number one. The houston astro have just won the word series. A swarm of asteroid players wrap their arms around each other, jumping up and down on the field celebration.

Our tuba is overcome, what happiness he can barely believe how far this team has come. The next hour is a blur. There are more on field celebrations, interviews with reporters and shame pain bones popping in the class.

This is the proud night of oz or today's life. And he knows his teammates all feel the same way. The fused on asteroid are champions, and nothing can take that away from. From Mandy, this is episode three of houston astros caught stealing for american scandal in our next episode after the worlds series celebrations wine down, suspicions about the astro s ramp up around the and a former teammate turned whistle blow threatens to expose the teams cheating scheme for all of the amErica to sea.

If you're enjoying american scandal, you can unlock exclusive seasons on wunder plus binge new seasons first, listen completely and free when you join wander plus in the wander APP apple podcast or sponge fy. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a survey and wander do com slash survey, if you'd like to learn more about the houston astro sign stealing scheme, we recommend the books winning fixes everything by evan jelly and cheated by Candy Martino. This episode contains reenacts and dramatized details, and while in most cases we can't know exactly what was said, all our drama aizen are based on historical research, american scandalised hosted, edited and execute ced by me, lsi grand for air ship audio editing by Christian baroni sound designed by Gabriel gool music billin's c gram. This episode is written by AJ marash a edited by amaco dant fat checking by elisa jung Perry, produced by john reed, managing producer Olivia font, senior producer andy herman, development by Stephanie gents executive producers are janine, our beckman, Marshall, lewi and erano flare ity for wondering.

Dracula, the ancient vampire who terrorizes Victorian london blood and garlic bats, cruiser fixes. Even if you haven't read the book, you think you know the story. One of the incredible things about later is that not only is that this wonderful snapshot of the century IT also has so much resonance today, the vampire e doesn't castle reflection in the mirror.

So when we look in the mirror, the only thing we see is our own monstrous abilities. From the host and producer of american history tellers and history daily comes the new podcast, the real history of dracula. We will reveal how author bram stoker raided engine folk or exploited Victorian fears around sex, science and religion, and how even today we remain enthralled to his strange creatures of the night. You can binge all episodes of the real history of dracula exclusively with wonderful plus, join wondering plus and the wandering apple podcasts or spotify.