The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games in the 2018 World Series, but the validity of that championship is now being questioned by some fans and reporters while Major League Baseball investigates the historic franchise for illegaly stealing signs during that title-winning season. The MLB handed down harsh punishments to the Houston Astros on Monday after an official investigation concluded the team devised an effective system to illegally steal signs from opponents during their 2017 World Series-winning campaign. The Astros bench coach in 2017 was Alex Cora, who left Houston that offseason to join the Red Sox as their new manager for 2018.