The last time the Astros competed in the world championship, their existence was disrupted and somewhat overshadowed by the controversy that eventually led to the suspension of then-GM assistant Brandon Tubman.
With little interest—in fact, almost none—Tubman was reinstated a year ago, The Post learned.
Tubman applied to get his job back shortly after the end of the 2020 world championships, the earliest allowed under MLB ordinances for his engagement to a reporter during the Astros celebration after their win over the Yankees at ALCS 2019. Commissioner Rob Manfred determined that Tubman had met the criteria for a replay. from the ineligible list.
There are no indications that Tubman is planning to attempt a return to MLB. Neither Taubman nor MLB will provide comment for this story.
In 2018, the Astros controversially acquired Roberto Osuna from the Blue Jays while the underdog was in the midst of a 75-game suspension for domestic violence. He would be seen at the time, and especially over time, as part of an Astros culture that often rejected morality for the sake of efficiency and value.
One reporter was regularly tweeting the domestic violence hotline number when Osuna appeared at the Astros game. Osuna provided a key role in the match to DJ LeMahieu in the ninth inning of ALCS Game 6 in 2019. But Houston won ninth on Jose Altove’s home ground off Aroldis Chapman (think bell brouhaha).
At the Astros celebratory club, Tubman, then 34, shouted six times toward a group of correspondents, “Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so glad (squeaking) we got Osuna.” He was among the reporters who were tweeting the hotline number and was wearing a purple domestic violence awareness bracelet (October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month). This was the reporter who would tell Tubman to MLB officials that he was directing his screams at him.
Early in the World Championships (Washington v Houston), Sports Illustrated was the first to report what happened after the ALCS. The Astros declined to comment on the story, but in the immediate aftermath of its publication issued a statement in which, among other things, it called the story “completely irresponsible” and said it was slanderous, leading to harassment of the reporter. Article.
The Astros alleged that Tubman was shouting in support of a player being questioned after a “tough outing”. Tubman later released a statement in which he also said he had used “inappropriate language… to support a player.”
But an MLB investigation soon revealed that no players were interviewed near Taubman and after the release of the second game of the World Series Taubman. The Astros reversed course in a statement, among other things, apologizing to the Sports Illustrated reporter.
On January 13, 2020, as part of a more focused sanctioning of the Astros signals-stealing scandal, the MLB announced that Taubman had been placed on a ineligible roster until at least the end of the 2020 season.
As part of the reason MLB is bringing Taubman back is that no evidence has been found that he was involved in the Astros’ signal-stealing operation. In addition, the MLB found that he had made adjustments with the reporter to whom he addressed the ALCS, did work for a domestic violence center and underwent treatment.
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