Dave Hudgens was curious about the loud banging he could hear in the Astros’ dugout. He asked a player about it.



But beyond that, according to his version of events, he wasn’t very curious at all.



Back in 2017, his Astros were cheating on their way to a World Series championship. As the scheme evolved, Hudgens maintained a peculiar detachment. Perhaps he didn’t want to know the details.



But he knew enough to know it was wrong, he told The Athletic on Wednesday. He knew enough to know he should have tried to stop it.



Hudgens was Houston’s hitting coach in 2017. Last season the Blue Jays hired him as bench coach. And on Wednesday, he apologized for failing to take action against the electronic sign-stealing scandal that has rocked the baseball world, cost four people their jobs and tainted the Astros’ championship season.



During a telephone interview, Hudgens told me he was not actively involved in the...