Joe Girardi was one win away from the World Series in 2017. His Yankees had pushed the Astros to the brink in the ALCS, taking a 3-2 lead before dropping Games 6 and 7 in Houston.

Days later, Girardi was out as manager-his decade-long run in the Bronx coming to an abrupt end. If anyone had a reason to carry a grudge against that Astros team and the cheating scandal that later surfaced, it’d be Girardi.

But here’s the thing: he’s not interested in holding onto it.

Appearing on Foul Territory, Girardi shared a perspective that’s rare in baseball circles when it comes to the 2017 Astros. He’s not bitter.

He’s not looking for retroactive justice. He’s ready to move on-and he thinks the rest of the baseball world should be, too.

“I was on a text chain the other day,” Girardi said, “and someone brought up 2017. They didn’t realize I was on the chain.

I just said, ‘Hey man, you’ve gotta let that go. I’ve let that go.

That’s in the past. Let it go.

It is what it is.’”

That kind of response doesn’t come from someone who’s brushing off the seriousness of what happened. Girardi knows the line between gamesmanship and crossing the ethical line in baseball.

He’s been around long enough to understand the nuance. But he also knows that the sport-and the people in it-have to move forward.

“It’s in every game,” he said, referring to the constant search for tendencies and tells. “You always look for something that might help you predict the play.

It’s in basketball, football, everything. But you’ve gotta do it the right way.

And unfortunately, it wasn’t done the right way. People paid for their sins, if you want to call it that.

And you move on. That’s over with.”

Girardi’s comments aren’t about excusing what the Astros did. They’re about perspective.

The scandal was investigated. Punishments were handed down.

Reputations were altered, and the league took a long, hard look at how it polices sign stealing. But here we are, eight years later, and the conversation still lingers.

Players like George Springer continue to hear it from fans every time they step into an opposing ballpark. The 2017 World Series title remains a lightning rod. And for some, it seems the only acceptable resolution would be to strip the championship altogether-something that’s never going to happen.

Girardi’s stance is a reminder that at some point, the game has to be about the present. That doesn’t mean forgetting what happened. But constantly revisiting the scandal doesn’t change the outcome-it only distracts from the stories unfolding now.

Baseball’s moved on. The Astros have evolved.

The Yankees have a new identity. And Joe Girardi?

He’s not stuck in 2017. He’s looking forward, and maybe it’s time more people did the same.