CLEVELAND — Earlier this week, a report in The Athletic regarding alleged cheating committed by the Houston Astros shook the baseball world.
Never one to bite his tongue, Cleveland Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger wasn't about to let the moment pass without having something to say.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday night, the right-hander posted a video of former WWF wrestler Steve Blackman using his signature nunchucks to bang on a trashcan that he had placed over the head of Shane McMahon during a match at SummerSlam 2000. It was the caption in Clevinger's tweet, however, that drew the most attention as the 28-year-old elected to mention Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and third baseman Alex Bregman by name.
Clevinger's tweet was a clear shot at the Houston organization, whose practices have come into question over the past week. According to the report by Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, the Astros allegedly used illegal videotaping practices during their World Series championship season in 2017 to steal hand signals from opposing catchers and would then tipoff pitches -- especially changeups and curveballs -- to teammates by banging on a trashcan in the dugout.
The Indians, of course, are no strangers to the Astros, who swept them during the 2018 American League Division Series. During that same series, the Indians filed a complaint with the MLB office about an Astros employee attempting to film their dugout, although an investigation by the league found no violations.