The MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said on Tuesday that the Majors will launch a thorough investigation into the ongoing sign-stealing scandal and the punishments can be severe.

"Any allegations that relate to a rule violation that could affect the outcome of a game or games is the most serious matter. It relates to the integrity of the sport. In terms of where we are, we have a very active – what is going to be a really, really thorough investigation ongoing," said Manfred at the owners' meetings.

In baseball, players communicate with distinctive signs made by their team. If the opponents learn the meaning of these signs, it means the most important game policy is revealed. Accusations of sign-stealing happened a lot before, but there's hardly any evidence, until Mike Fiers, former pitcher of the Houston Astros broke his story to the public.

According to Fiers, the Astros used a camera from the center field to shoot the signs made by the opponents' catcher. Then the Astros' employees and players would watch the television, which played the feedback from the camera and tried to decode the signs. When they thought they decoded the sign, the expected pitch would be communicated via a loud noise –specifically, banging on a trash can.

This happened in 2017 when the Astros won the World Series title.

The team issued a statement over the report by The Athletic: "Regarding the story posted by The Athletic earlier today, the Houston Astros organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball. It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter at this time."

It already understandably caused a stir on the internet because, as Fiers put it, "That's not playing the game the right way. They were advanced and willing to go above and beyond to win."

This happened in 2017 when the Astros won the World Series title.

The team issued a statement over the report by The Athletic: "Regarding the story posted by The Athletic earlier today, the Houston Astros organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball. It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter at this time."

It already understandably caused a stir on the internet because, as Fiers put it, "That's not playing the game the right way. They were advanced and willing to go above and beyond to win."