Dodgers Star calls out Astros for cheating in hilariously nonchalant fashion

The Los Angeles Dodgers have found arguably the most potent 1-2 lineup punch in baseball with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts starring their hitters. Through 10 postseason games together, Ohtani and Betts have combined for seven home runs and 20 RBI against the San Diego Padres and New York Mets.

Dodgers starter and all-time great pitcher Clayton Kershaw was asked about other great 1-2 lineup duos he has faced. One of the answers Kershaw found was the Houston Astros duo of Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman, whom Kershaw called out for cheating.

“I’m trying to think of teams that I pitched against,” Kershaw told The Athletic’s Jayson Stark. “Like the best teams. I mean, from the point of view, Altuve and Bregman were good (in Houston). But they cheated, so it’s not really the same.”

Kershaw pitched mostly against Altuve and Bregman during the 2017 World Series, which saw the Astros beat the Dodgers in seven games. Kershaw pitched in three games during the World Series and started two of those games. In his first start, Kershaw pitched seven innings, allowing three hits, one earned run and striking out 11. Their only earned run came at the hands of a Bregman home run, but the Dodgers still won 3-1.

Kershaw pitched 4.2 innings in his next appearance during that World Series, but allowed six earned runs, including one off an Altuve home run.

Altuve finished the World Series with five hits, four runs, two home runs and five RBIs. Bregman recorded seven hits, six runs, two home runs and five RBIs.

The 2017 World Series is marred by a sign-stealing scandal. Two years after the World Series, MLB discovered that the Astros stole their opponents’ signals and relayed them to their batters, to give their lineup an edge that ultimately helped them win the series.

With all that said, the Dodgers still lost that series, losing to the Astros, four games to three. It was LA’s first World Series appearance at that time since 1988.

While Kershaw acknowledged that Altuve and Bregman were good, he didn’t do so without adding that they cheated. He also stated that he believes the Dodgers currently have the best 1-2 in the MLB with Ohtani and Betts.

“So yeah,” Kershaw said. “It’s hard to find. And ours is probably the best (1-2 times), right now, for sure.”