PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Houston Astros team owner and players opened up spring training in West Palm Beach with somber apologies for the sign-stealing scandal that has surrounded the team this winter.
“I am really sorry about the choices that were made by my team by the organization and by me,” said star player Alex Bregman who spoke at a news conference at Fitteam Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
“I want to say the whole Astros organization and the team feels bad about what happened in 2017, especially feel remorse for the impact on our fans and the game of baseball,” said Jose Altuve, another Astros star player.
Major League Baseball’s investigation found the Astros involved in electronically stealing signs from opposing teams. The Astros fired their manager and general manager.
“We broke the rules and you can phrase that any way you want,” said team owner Jim Crane.
“The only thing we can do is sit here and say we’re sorry and move forward in a positive way,” Crane said.
The Astros begin the spring training schedule February 22 against the World Series Champion Washington Nationals at Fitteam Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.