Notable baseball scandals
1919: THE BLACK SOX
The Chicago White Sox lost the World Series to Cincinnati, and allegations of throwing the series resulted in the trial of eight players the following year. They were acquitted but nevertheless suspended for life by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
1985: PITTSBURGH DRUG TRIALS
Several major league stars testified, with immunity, in the drug distribution trial of cocaine dealer Curtis Strong. National League MVP Keith Hernandez estimated 40% of MLB players used cocaine, and future Hall of Fame outfielder Tim Raines said he kept cocaine in his back pocket during games.
1989: PETE ROSE BANNED
Baseball's all-time hits leader was banned from baseball for betting on games when he was manager of the Reds.
1990: THE BOSS GOES DOWN
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was permanently banned from baseball for hiring a gambler to gather information on Yankees star Dave Winfield. That ban lasted fewer than three years, however.
1990: OWNER COLLUSION
Baseball's owners were ordered to pay affected players $280 million after they were shown to have conspired to restrict movement of free agents in the mid-1980s. The hard feelings partly resulted in the baseball strike of 1994.
2007: MITCHELL REPORT
The Mitchell Report named 69 players suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs. Suspicions still abound. Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds have fallen short of election to the Hall of Fame despite staggering numbers during the steroid era of the 1990s and early 2000s. Alex Rodriguez served a yearlong suspension in 2014 for admitting to PED use in the early 2000s.
2020: ASTROS CAUGHT
MLB suspended Houston's GM and manager, fined the team $5 million and took away two top draft picks after it was revealed the Astros stole signs during the 2017 World Series with their video replay system. Boston manager Alex Cora, who was a Houston coach the year before leading the Sox to the 2018 World Series title, was forced to resign, as was Mets manager Carlos Beltran, who was a ringleader as an Astros player.
