REMEMBERING WHEN CODY BELLINGER WENT HARD ON THE ASTROS!

Yankee fans, rejoice! Not only is Cody Bellinger officially donning the pinstripes, but he’s also bringing the kind of fiery honesty and no-nonsense attitude that New York loves. We love the fighters here! 

Empire Sports Media deserves a standing ovation for unearthing this gem of a video clip from 2020, where Bellinger unapologetically called out the Houston Astros for their notorious cheating scandal. Let’s take a moment to bask in the glory of a guy who speaks his mind and hates the Astros as much as we do.

Back in 2020, Bellinger—then with the Los Angeles Dodgers—didn't mince words when asked about the Astros' feeble attempts at apology and MLB's handling of the scandal. Speaking before the Dodgers’ pitchers and catchers held their first official workout, Bellinger tore into Astros owner Jim Crane, calling his apology “weak.” He extended that label to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred for granting immunity to the players involved.

“Those guys were cheating for three years,” Bellinger said, with the kind of passion that New Yorkers will eat up like a slice of Ray’s Pizza. “I think what people don’t realize is [Jose] Altuve stole an MVP from [Aaron] Judge in 2017. Everyone knows they stole the ring from us. But it’s over.”

Of course, Bellinger couldn’t resist bringing up one of the most baffling moments in baseball history: Altuve’s suspicious walk-off home run against Aroldis Chapman during the 2019 ALCS. “I don’t know what human hits a walk-off home run to send your team to the World Series and, one, has the thought to say, ‘Don’t rip my jersey off,’ but, two, goes into the tunnel, changes their shirt, and then comes out and does their interview. That makes no sense to me,” he said, leaving no stone unturned.

This clip is pure gold, a reminder that Bellinger has always been one of baseball’s real ones. And now he’s ours, Yankee fans. The man is fearless. Bold statements we need in the Bronx.

With all of this in mind, let’s talk about the offseason. If anyone out there seriously thinks the Yankees should go after Alex Bregman, let’s pause for a reality check. Bregman was a central figure in that cheating scandal, and bringing him to New York would be sacrilegious. We don’t need his baggage when we’ve got a straight-shooter like Bellinger to help us write the next chapter of Yankees greatness.

So, here’s to Cody Bellinger, a true Yankee at heart even before he joined the squad. Let’s go, Yankees! And let’s keep hating the Astros together.