Veteran Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis didn’t mince words when it came to the Houston Astros.
“I feel like every single guy over there needs a beating,” said the 36-year-old heading into his 15th season. “It’s wrong. They’re messing with people’s careers.”
Markakis, about to begin his sixth season in Atlanta, also placed blame on commissioner Rob Manfred’s handling of the investigation into Houston’s 2017 sign-stealing operation and the subsequent punishment doled out by the league.
“The way he handled the situation, he should be embarrassed of himself,” Markakis said of Manfred.
Calling the Astros’ conduct “damaging to baseball,” the Glen Cove, NY native said that their actions contravened the spirit of the game.
“There’s right ways to do it and wrong ways to do it,” he said. “I 100 per cent disagree with way they did it. There’s a lot of people that were hurt by it, and it was wrong.”
Markakis and the Braves will get their first look at the Astros since 2017 in September when the two teams close out the regular season at Truist Park in Atlanta.
