Cashman: 15-year World Series gap discounts that Astros cheated Yankees

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman believes New York's 15-year gap between World Series appearances is misleading because his team lost in the 2017 ALCS to a Houston Astros club that illegally stole signs using technology en route to a title.

"I hate the 15-year thing because it completely forgets and discounts that some other organization cheated us when we were all the way in the end," Cashman told MLB Network's "High Heat." "If you knew what was going on, I don't think they would be advancing ... I think we would've been advancing.

"I hate that 15-year thing because I don't think it accurately reflects history. But regardless, we're proud to be where we are now."

The Yankees lost the series in seven games as the Astros won all four home contests.

Major League Baseball fined Houston $5 million and stripped the team of its first- and second-round selections in the next two drafts. Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for one year and subsequently fired. However, none of the players were punished and the club got to keep its World Series title.

Meanwhile, New York will have a chance to end its championship drought when the Fall Classic starts Friday with Game 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

L.A. also fell to Houston in seven games in the 2017 World Series.