Astros players Jose Altuve, right, and Alex Bregman at a news conference on Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla. Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Houston's Jose Altuve labeled 'Astros Cheater' in L.A. news station TV graphic

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 2/13/20

Jose Altuve was one of a number of Houston Astros players who apologized on Thursday for the team’s sign-stealing scandal, but one local news station in Los Angeles clearly is not ready to forgive the All-Star infielder.

Altuve and Alex Bregman both issued scripted apologies at the start of a press conference the Astros held on Thursday. While showing the clip of Altuve’s apology on live television, KTLA in Los Angeles ran a graphic at the bottom of the screen that described Altuve as “Astros Cheater.”

"Astros cheater" pic.twitter.com/nEe8Z9VYy1

— Samantha Cortese (@SamanthaCortese) February 13, 2020

As some have pointed out, a Pittsburgh-area news station fired an employee who was responsible for labeling Tom Brady as a “known cheater” in a TV graphic a year ago. It’s unclear if there will be any repercussions for whoever was responsible for the Altuve graphic.

The Astros, of course, defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series, so they don’t have many fans in the L.A. area. Dodgers supporters probably did not appreciate what Houston owner Jim Crane had to say on Thursday about the illegal sign-stealing impacting the outcome of games.

Major League Baseball has confirmed that the Astros cheated, so calling their players cheaters seems pretty fair.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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