Jose Altuve: "When you said you don’t believe that I didn’t have a buzzer, you don’t believe what MLB investigated"

Houston Astros’ 2017 cheating scandal shook the MLB. Astros star Jose Altuve was accused of playing a role in the scandal, but he denied the allegations by saying that he did not use a buzzer to tip off his teammates to pitches.

In Altuve’s field interview with FOX after his ALCS-winning homer in 2020, he said:

“When you said you don’t believe that I didn’t have a buzzer, you don’t believe what MLB investigated.

“Nobody on this team had a buzzer. I don’t know what else to say about that. MLB did their investigation and they didn’t find anything. They found what they found in 2017. They did a really good investigation on the buzzer and they didn’t find anything.”

Several Astros players publicly stated that Altuve was not involved in the cheating scandal and the same was confirmed by Andy Martino, the author of the book called “Cheated: The Inside Story of the Astros Scandal and a Colorful History of Sign Stealing.”

"The Astros cheating scandal now includes allegations that players were wearing electronic buzzers to tip them to pitches. MLB says they did not find evidence of the devices in their investigation, but internet detectives aren't entirely convinced." – Twitter Moments

The scandal involved employees in Houston's video room using the game feed from the center field camera to decode and convey the signs of other teams to Astros baserunners on second base, according to the MLB inquiry report.

The Astros collectively lost first- and second-round draft picks for 2020 and 2021. Additionally, the team received a $5 million fine, which was the maximum permitted.

Jose Altuve’s celebrated MLB career

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve debuted in the major leagues in 2011. Altuve, an eight-time MLB All-Star, has five times been selected as the AL's starting second baseman in the All-Star Game.

Altuve first captured the American League Most Valuable Player Award, the Hank Aaron Award, and the World Series championship with the Astros in 2017.

Championship Series - Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees - Game 4.

Altuve achieved 130 hits and 40 stolen bases before the All-Star Game in 2014, making him the first player to do so in more than 80 years. Altuve, a Venezuelan national team player from Maracay, participated in the 2017 World Baseball Classic for his country (WBC).

Jose Altuve is the second-fastest player in playoff history to hit 23 home runs. From 2011 to 2021, he had 31 games with four hits, the most of any MLB player during that time.