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    Michael Hiltzik: Did Astros beat Dodgers by cheating? The numbers say no.

    by Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times Mar 01, 2020 8 minutes

    LOS ANGELES - The narrative surrounding the Houston Astros' cheating in 2017 and 2018 has become well-established since Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred laid out the details and parceled out punishments on Jan. 13.

    The team, Manfred announced, transmitted images from a center field camera to a video monitor to steal signs from opposing catchers, and signaled its batters what was coming by banging on a trash can.

    The impression left with the average fan and many pro ballplayers is that this gave the Astros a huge advantage at the plate, enough to propel them to a World Series victory over the Dodgers in 2017.

    Though Manfred banned Astros Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for a year (the team fired both the same day), he stopped short of revoking the Astros' championship.

    Nevertheless, the 2017 Series win is hopelessly tainted. Sentiment remains rife in Los Angeles that the Dodgers wuz robbed. At least one opposing pitcher feels that a bad outing against the cheaters ruined his career, and he's filed a lawsuit.

    But things aren't that simple. This won't be a popular conclusion in Dodgertown, but new analyses of the Astros' 2017 season by baseball's corps of unofficial statisticians - "sabermetricians," to the sport - indicate that the

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