How A Sign-Stealing Scandal Ruined A Former MLB Pitcher’s Career

How A Sign-Stealing Scandal Ruined A Former MLB Pitcher’s Career

7.27.2020

By Brendan Kennedy

One of the many events postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic was the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball season and one of the major storylines headed into the season was the firing and suspensions of several members of the Houston Astros due to their involvement in a cheating scandal.

Ben Meiselas, the attorney representing former MLB pitcher Mike Bolsinger in his lawsuit against the Astros, is this week’s guest on the Miranda Warnings podcast. Meiselas who is a partner at the Los Angeles law firm Geragos & Geragos discusses the legal arguments his client is making, his strategy for deposing Astros owner Jim Crane, and what legal battles are on the horizon.

On August 4, 2017, as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, Bolsinger entered a 7-2 game and had one of the worst outings of his career. He threw 29 pitches, gave up four runs and recorded just one out. The next day, he was demoted to the minor leagues and has not appeared in a major league game since.

“What the lawsuit makes clear is that, even though baseball is a sport we all love it’s also a business where millions of dollars are transacted on each pitch,” Meiselas told show host David Miranda. “We’re saying that an economic wrong was committed when the team stole the signs and because of that left, he lost his career.”

Meiselas goes on to discuss why his client chose to bring the lawsuit against the organization and its owners and not the specific players who participated in the scheme.

He also talks about his intentional reasoning for filing the case in Los Angeles County Superior Court because a lot of the tortious conduct took place in Los Angeles and the scheme’s fulfillment occurred there when the Astros defeated the Dodgers to win the World Series at Dodger Stadium. He also notes that team owner Jim Crane owns multiple homes in the LA-area.

Meiselas who also represented former quarterback Colin Kaepernick in his collusion lawsuit against the National Football League talks about his relationship with his client and how he has drawn inspiration from him to improve his work ethic, dedication, and focus.

“Colin has been the most inspirational person I’ve ever met, ” Meiselas said. “I’ve been fortunate to have him as both a client and a very close friend and he’s someone I’ve drawn an incredible deal of inspiration from with how I work. I’m honored to just be a part of this piece of history and being by his side.”