“Astros can’t help themselves” - Fans draw parallels to team’s 2019 scandal as umpire seizes Taylor Trammell’s bat in bizarre incident vs. Yankees

The New York Yankees' series against the Houston Astros has had a few controversial moments, and Thursday's series finale at Minute Maid Park added another bizarre incident to the list.

During the ninth inning, with the Yankees leading 8-3, Taylor Trammell struck a double off closer David Bednar to give the Astros hopes of making a late comeback in the rubber game.

However, after Trammell's double, Yankees manager Aaron Boone asked the umpires to check his bat. The crew confiscated the pinch-hitting outfielder's bat that reportedly had some markings and sent it for review.

The bizarre incident caught the attention of fans, who sparked conversations of Astros' infamous cheating scandal.

"The Astros can’t help themselves but to cheat against the Yankees."

"Cheater from the Astros what else is new."

"THEY OUT HERE CHEATING AGAIN."

"Anything from this team surprised me… My goodness!"

"Caught cheating again? Absolutely shocking."

The Astros outfielder was visibly frustrated after he was allowed to remain on base and reacted to Boone's enquiry during the game.

Aaron Boone and Taylor Trammell address controversial bat incident

Although the Astros threatened a late comeback, Bednar held the hosts to just a run in the ninth inning to secure a 8-4 win and clinch the series. Following the win, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone addressed the controversial incident involving Taylor Trammell.

Boone said his staff had noticed some discoloration on Trammell's bat and enquired about it without making any allegations.

"It's just something we noticed this series and asked the league about. You're not allowed to do anything to your bat. I'm not saying he was. We noticed it and the league thought it was maybe illegal too. I wanted to at least ask about it," Boone said.

Trammell also explained his side, calling the decision to confiscate his bat "ridiculous."

It's actually ridiculous. I have no idea what really happened," Trammell said. "I've had that bat since I've been here. I've had it for a long time. I usually take BP with it. I use it in games, I use it in (triple-A Sugar Land), use it every time I need. The only thing I just don't have a gloss finish on my bat. It's matte. Paint wears down. That's what happened."

The Yankees host AL East leaders the Toronto Blue Jays in their next home series with the Blue Jays holding a three-game lead over the Bronx Bombers.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash