Just when you thought the worst of the Houston Astros cheating scandal had come and gone, new details uncovered by the Wall Street Journal are showing just how widespread the cheating scheme was in Houston’s front office.
Not only did Astros players and coaches use a camera, TV screen and garbage can to electronically steal signs and relay them to hitters, but the entire operation was fueled by an Excel spreadsheet developed by a then-intern that used an algorithm to decode opposing team’s signs.
Members of the Astros front office called it “Codebreaker,” according to documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal, and often referred to their tactics as the “dark arts.