When Charlie Morton disclosed he was aware of sign-stealing tactics by Houston Astros teammates

Charlie Morton, who played as a pitcher for the Houston Astros from 2017 to 2018, once claimed that he regretted not doing anything about his former team stealing signs.

The Astros used cameras to steal signs from the catchers of opposing teams in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. MLB investigated the incident in 2019 after Mike Fiers, a former Astros player, spilled the beans to the Athletic. In 2020, they concluded their investigation and found that former Astros bench coach Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran, a former Astros player, orchestrated the whole thing.

The Houston Astros ended up firing former manager A.J. Hinch and former general manager Jeff Lunhow. The team was also fined $5 million by the MLB and forced to forfeit future draft picks. However, they retained their 2017 World Series title.

Speaking to the Tampa Bay Times in 2020, Charlie Morton revealed that he was aware of the whole thing and regretted not stopping it.

"I was aware of the banging," Morton said. "Being in the dugout you could hear it. I don't know when it dawned on me, but you knew it was going on.

"Personally, I regret not doing more to stop it. I don't know what that would have entailed. I think the actions would have been somewhat extreme to stop it. That's a hypothetical."

When Charles Morton said that public perception of Houston Astros' 2017 victory changed after the result of the MLB investigation

Chicago White Sox v Houston Astros

Charles Morton signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Houston Astros in 2017. In the same interview, Morton recalled how that season with the Astros was bittersweet.

"From a personal standpoint, good people make mistakes. It's as simple as that. I really don't have anything else to say about it. I think mistakes were made and everybody is just trying to move on."

The pitcher revealed that after the truth about the Houston Astros scandal came out, the public perception of their World Series win changed.

"I think it is one of those things where I know those guys. I went through a lot with those guys, so I feel like I have a little different perspective on who they are as opposed to someone that is just reading that the Astros cheated in 2017."

While the 2017 victory was tainted by the scandal, the Houston Astros made sure to erase those memories by winning the title for the second time last season.