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New York Yankees fans, look away if you don't want to revisit a nightmare.
In a since-deleted tweet, former Houston Astros slugger Evan Gattis pointed at the irony of getting shut out in games where the team was banging trash cans to signal to hitters what pitch was coming.
"The craziest thing about the cheating year is facing a guy like yu darvish and getting shut out knowing what's coming," he tweeted on Monday afternoon.
That prompted a Yankee fan to ask him about the homer Gattis hit in Game 7 of that American League Championship Series, which Houston won, 4-0, over New York.
Evan Gattis #11 of the Houston Astros hits a a solo home run against CC Sabathia #52 of the New York Yankees during the fourth inning in Game Seven of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 21, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
"So you knew what pitch from CC [Sabathia] was coming in Game 7?" @coco_yankz asked.
Gattis kept it blunt: "Yes."
Gattis was leading off the bottom of the fourth inning in a scoreless tie when the DH slugged a 2-2 pitch deep into left field to give the Astros the lead. Well, he admitted he had some help before that pitch.
Evan Gattis #11 of the Houston Astros rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning of Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park on Saturday, October 21, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Cooper Neill/MLB via Getty Images)
When asked if that pitch was a "trash can bang," he said it was.
"Yes. I'm pretty sure. Back door cutter slider."
When news of the cheating scandal broke, Sabathia, the pitcher who recorded the Game 7 loss, let his grievances known.
"F---ing '17 we should have won the World Series. I don't care what nobody says. And now that this happened, nobody can ever f---ing tell me that we wasn't gonna win it," he said in January 2020.
"The games there were so close. One run, one hit, one f---ing sign!" Sabathia said. "We had magic and they stole that s--- from us. "I felt it man, and I had got over it. Let it go, got over it and maybe like I was trippin', they were a better team. They won, they beat us. And then this came back and now I feel it again. I'm pissed! I just felt that s--- in my bone. I knew that team in '17 was good enough to win the World Series."
Gattis said the team knew what was coming in the World Series, as well.
Evan Gattis #11 of the Houston Astros celebrates with Jose Altuve #27, Carlos Correa #1 and Marwin Gonzalez #9 after hitting a solo home run against CC Sabathia #52 of the New York Yankees during the fourth inning in Game Seven of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 21, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Elsa/Getty Images)
"I think they knew and used multiple signs but it’s been a while," Gattis said when asked if the system was used against the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I remember knowing what was coming against [Clayton] kershaw. As a team we swung and missed a handful of times only against him."
Gattis did note that the Astros' success didn't come solely off the trash cans - combined with their skill, they were still very good at legally figuring out what was coming.
"Just got really good at deciphering signs when runners on base. Even from first and third.tipping pitches etc. We were the best team on the planet at everything," he said in another tweet.
He also believes the Dodgers "had a system as well."
Evan Gattis #11 of the Houston Astros is introduced during the Houston Astros Victory Parade on November 3, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 to win the 2017 World Series. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)
And for good measure, he admitted to taking a performance-enhancing drugs — Adderall is banned as part of MLB's policy, but players can get an exemption.
That Astros team defeated the Dodgers in seven games for their first World Series in franchise history.