Hinch, GM fired for Astros sign stealing after MLB bans pair

HOUSTON (AP) — Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired Monday after the pair were suspended 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.

In U.S. sports’ largest scandal since the New England Patriots’ “Spygate,” Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline Monday and strongly hinted that current Boston manager Alex Cora — the Astros bench coach in 2017 — will face equal or more severe punishment. Manfred said Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros. The Red Sox are under investigation for sign-stealing in Cora’s first season as…