HOUSTON – Joe Torre, the special assistant to Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, addressed the backlash the Astros are receiving from current players throughout the league, during a visit to Houston Thursday morning.
Torre joined a host of others, including Bob Watson, at the official dedication of the new Bob Watson Education Center at the Astros Youth Academy in north Houston. Watson was a star player and served as the Astros’ general manager, before taking on a role with Major League Baseball.
Torre addressed many topics during the visit, includes how some pitchers are purposely hitting Astros’ batters.
“I have more trust in baseball than that,” said Torre, a Hall of Fame manager. “I’d like to think the goal of each team is to win ball games, and if we go into a series or game with the intention of hitting somebody then obviously we aren’t thinking about the right thing when you put on the uniform.”
Torre also discussed the overall safety of the Astros players and their families. Several players have gone on record saying they have received death threats from angry baseball fans.
“The rules being broken is a sad time for baseball,” Torre said. “We have a way of self-healing, but we all have to chip in.”
Houston Astros owner Jim Crane was scheduled to speak to the media but opted out. His last news conference was on Feb. 13 in West Palm Beach when he addressed the team’s sign-stealing scandal.