Chris Archer Claims Former Astros Player Lied to Him About Tipping Pitches in 2017
By Michael Luciano
Former Tampa Bay Rays starter Chris Archer was one of the most dominant strikeout artists in the league in his prime, but he could never seem to put away those pesky Houston Astros.
Archer, who is adamant that the Astros stealing the Rays' signs caused a noticeable drop in his performance, claims that an Astros player FaceTimed him in 2017 to tell him he was tipping pitches. This was a complete lie, as the Astros simply stole signs via the trash can banging they used many times over.
In 2017, an Astros player FaceTimed Chris Archer to tell him he was tipping pitches. That was a lie. The Astros were banging a trash can.
— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) February 13, 2020
“It sucks when you dedicate your whole life to something, and somebody’s out there doing some shady shit like that.”https://t.co/xMHZkwMTsx
Whichever anonymous ex-Astros player did this deserves every ounce of public criticism they earn.
Archer went 6+ innings in his only start against the Astros in 2017, giving up seven hits and four runs and striking out only five batters, which seems like a low number for a guy with Archer's stuff, who made the All-Star game just a few weeks prior.
Archer joins the likes of Cody Bellinger, Trevor Bauer, and Mike Trout in very publicly taking a stance against the Astros and the team's cheating ways.
Cody Bellinger, Trevor Bauer, Kris Bryant, Chris Archer, and now, Mike Trout ... https://t.co/daG7VHAmrP
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) February 17, 2020
Archer is just the latest example of a pitcher that was noticeably worse whenever they had to play at MinuteMaid park over the last few seasons. We wouldn't be surprised if a few other pitchers across baseball have the same story as Archer.