The Houston Astros will always have to live with the cheating scandal that marred their 2017 season, but it’s clear they were willing to risk it all for a World Series title. Now sitting at 24-22, the Astros are fighting to stay in the postseason race.
One of the players from the 2017 and 2022 World Series wins was Justin Verlander, a starting pitcher who stayed quiet during the team’s cheating scandal nearly a decade ago.
Justin Verlander Admitted He Knew What Was Going On
Now with the San Francisco Giants, Verlander has played for four teams since his MLB career started in 2005. The 42-year-old is still earning a paycheck and pitching in the big leagues, even though he’s now on his third team since 2023. He went from the Mets to the Astros (again) and now to the Giants, where he is 0-3 in 2025 through nine starts with a 4.31 ERA.
Justin Verlander from Astros clubhouse pic.twitter.com/y9xhhnQr81
— Jason Bristol (@JBristolKHOU)
In 2020, reporters asked Verlander about the Astros’ 2017 World Series run and what was happening behind the scenes. He began that season with the Tigers before being traded to Houston, who went on to win it all. Detroit got a haul of prospects in return. Years later, Verlander spoke about the situation:
“Once I spent some time there, I understood what was happening, and I wish I had said more. Looking back, I can’t go back and reverse my decision. I wish I had said more, and I didn’t, and for that I’m sorry.”
When asked what he said at the time, Verlander responded: “That’s between myself and my teammates,” and denied all claims that he knew the Astros’ reputation when he got there.
On his first reaction to the cheating, he said: “I don’t want to get into too many specifics. I think we’re here today to apologize as a team. I think those means were expressed by everyone here today.”
He ended the interview by saying, “As a team, we’ve expressed remorse, myself included, and I’ll leave it at that.”
No matter how many All-Star nods or Cy Youngs Verlander racks up, the scandal will always be a blemish on his record.
It may not have been entirely, or even at all, his fault, but he made it clear in the interview that he could’ve spoken up and chose not to. Everyone has moments they look back on and wish they had handled differently. That clearly stands out as one for the 2011 AL MVP.