Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Keynan Middleton savored his game-ending strikeout of Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa on Wednesday night, calling the former Houston Astros star a “cheater.”
It’s not only been over three years since MLB revealed its report on the Astros’ electronic sign-stealing scheme, but Wednesday was also Middleton’s first save since 2021.
The righty spent the first four seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Angels from 2017 to 2021, before playing with the Seattle Mariners last season. Middleton signed with the White Sox in January.
After MLB’s report deemed that Houston “used electronics to steal signs during its run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season,” according to an ESPN report, then-manager A.J. Hinch was suspended and fired. No players were punished though, after commissioner Rob Manfred “granted them immunity as part of the league’s investigation,” per the report.
Middleton has a 2.89 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over his first nine 1/3 innings pitched covering 11 appearances with Chicago. Now in his second season in Minnesota, Correa is off to a slow start in 2023 with three home runs, 12 RBIs and an anemic .206/.287/.363 slash line.
