A. J. Hinch
American baseball player and manager
- Entries
- 9
- On the record
- 5
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Nov 6, 2026
The record
A.J. Hinch has managed three major league clubs. He ran the Arizona Diamondbacks from May 2009 until July 2010, then managed the Houston Astros from 2015 through 2019. ESPN noted that Houston had not finished above .500 since 2008 before he arrived, and that the team had a winning record in each of his five seasons there, won the 2017 World Series and took the 2019 American League pennant.
His file turns on Commissioner Rob Manfred's January 13, 2020 decision on the Astros' sign stealing. It found that Hinch neither devised nor took part in the players' trash-can banging scheme and that he twice damaged the monitor near the dugout to signal his disapproval, but that he admitted he did not stop the scheme or the relay of signs from the replay room. Manfred suspended him without pay through the 2020 World Series, and the Astros fired him.
Hinch has accepted responsibility in public. His written statement after the firing said he failed to stop them and was deeply sorry, and in a February 2020 MLB Network interview he said the team had done it to itself. The Detroit Tigers hired him on a multiyear deal when his suspension ended in October 2020, and he was still their manager when the club completed its 2027 coaching staff in November 2026.
Roles and honours on the record
Every entry, newest first
- Ruled
MLB suspended Hinch for the 2020 season; he said he failed to stop the sign stealing, and the Astros fired him. Astros fined $5M, lose four draft picks; Hinch, Luhnow suspended
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 2009-05 Reported He became manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, a post he held until July 2010. ESPN report
- 2017 Official His Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 in the World Series. MLB.com, World Series history
- 2020-01 Admitted After owner Jim Crane fired him and Jeff Luhnow, Hinch said in a written statement: "I failed to stop them and I am deeply sorry." ESPN report
- 2020-01-13 Ruled The Commissioner found Hinch did not devise or take part in the banging scheme and twice damaged the dugout-area monitor, but admitted he did not stop it or the replay-room sign relay and did not tell players he disapproved. MLB, Statement of the Commissioner, In re Houston Astros
- 2020-01-13 Ruled He was suspended without pay through the day after the 2020 World Series and warned that any future material violation would put him on the permanently ineligible list. MLB, Statement of the Commissioner, In re Houston Astros
- 2020-02-07 Admitted In his first interview since the ruling, on MLB Network, he called the question of whether the 2017 title was tainted "a fair question" and said, "we did it to ourselves." ESPN report
- 2020-10-30 Official The Detroit Tigers hired him on a multiyear deal to replace Ron Gardenhire; he said of the scandal, "I understand how wrong it was, and I'm sorry for that." ESPN report
- 2026-11-06 Official The Tigers announced their coaching and medical staff for 2027 under manager Hinch, including former Astros head athletic trainer Jeremiah Randall. MLB.com, Tigers report
Documents
Sources behind this file
- Bleacher Report on Bolsinger's refiled lawsuit
- Los Angeles Times report on Luhnow's lawsuit
- Washington Post opinion essay by Mike Bolsinger
- USA Today report on Bolsinger's lawsuit
- Wall Street Journal report on player immunity
- MLB Commissioner's statement, In re Houston Astros
- USA Today report on the penalties
- Sports Illustrated report on the punishment
- ESPN report on the firings
- Statement from A. J. Hinch
- Washington Post report on the firings