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The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their worst loss in the history of Dodger Stadium on Friday night—an 18-1 beatdown by the Houston Astros that quickly turned ugly. But it wasn’t just the scoreline that grabbed headlines. Dodgers broadcaster Orel Hershiser stirred old tensions by bringing up the infamous Astros cheating scandal mid-broadcast.
The Astros teed off for five home runs in the game, including two from Jose Altuve, who was met with relentless boos throughout the night. Despite the crowd reaction, Altuve homered twice, reached base five times, and racked up five RBIs in one of the most lopsided wins of the 2025 season.
Popular account Awful Announcing posted the moment Hershiser raised eyebrows with this quote during the third inning on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"I don't want to open an old wound. But in some ways, they're swinging at these breaking balls like they know what is coming."
Orel Hershiser on the Astros during a big inning against the Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/15HeqcRLkc
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 5, 2025
“I don’t want to open an old wound, but in some ways they’re swinging at these breaking balls like they know what is coming.”
The remark came after a series of well-timed hits off Dodgers rookie Ben Casparius. It was an unmistakable reference to the 2017 Astros cheating scandal, in which Houston used video surveillance and trash-can signals to decode pitches en route to a World Series win over the Dodgers.
As the Dodger Stadium blowout spiraled, Hershiser doubled down, questioning how Houston hitters were reading advanced breaking balls with such ease. While he stopped short of accusing the team outright, the implication was loud enough for fans and media to reignite debate.
Altuve, one of the most controversial figures from the 2017 saga, reminded everyone of his talent with another clutch performance—underscoring the Astros' dominance despite ongoing public scrutiny.
Houston is now 53-35 and leads the AL West by seven games, fueled by Altuve’s resurgence and contributions from hitters like Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes. Lance McCullers Jr. added six strong innings on the mound in just his second start since returning from injury.
The Astros cheating scandal may never fully fade from memory—especially not in Los Angeles, where the wounds still linger. On a night when Houston delivered the most lopsided defeat in Dodger Stadium history, echoes of 2017 resurfaced in more ways than one. And with Hershiser's pointed remarks drawing attention once again to Houston’s tainted past, it was a reminder that some rivalries are built not just on competition, but controversy that refuses to be forgotten.
