6 October 2023
HOUSTON — He is a postseason legend in Houston, responsible for special moments that would turn into memories passed from one generation to the next of Houston baseball fans.
He was a player that Astros fans laid their hopes and expectations on when things were at their worst — the team drafted him first overall in 2012 after losing 106 games a year prior. He shouldered those expectations and became a beloved piece of the team that delivered the city its first-ever World Series ring five years later.
And now, he hopes to cement his name in Twins postseason lore, too.
All eyes will be on Carlos Correa when the American League Division Series kicks off on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. at Minute Maid Park, in the ballpark he once called home.
“I had a great time with my time there and found a lot of success with that team, and personally also. But now this is a new chapter in my life,” Correa said. “This is a new chapter in my book, and I’m ready to find some success with this organization and create new memories with this great group of guys.”
Correa has already started adding to his postseason credentials with the Twins. He delivered multiple key defensive plays in the Wild Card Series against Toronto over the past week as well as a pivotal RBI hit in the second game.
Seeing Correa, a career .276 hitter with a .851 OPS and 18 home runs in the postseason, exhibit October success doesn’t come as a surprise to those around him.
“He’s kind of like Iron Man, I guess you can say,” Twins infielder Kyle Farmer said. “He puts that mask on, that playoff mask, and he comes out and he leaves it all out there. He’s been there so many times, he knows what it takes to win.”
It’s these moments, they say, that Correa lives for, and that’s part of why the Twins made him the highest-paid player in franchise history when he signed a six-year, $200 million deal in January.
“His orchestration of the pick-off play (Wednesday in Game 2 against the Blue Jays) was another example of what makes him special, and we brought him here to help our team get over the hump,” Twins team president and CEO Dave St. Peter said. “We have additional humps to climb here in the weeks to come, but … we couldn’t be more thrilled and more proud of Carlos, the fact that he’s a Minnesota Twin.”
They’ll certain need him at his best to get over their next hurdle — a Houston Astros team that has reached the American League Championship Series in each of the past six seasons, has played in the World Series in four of those seasons and has won it all in two of them.
The Astros are well-rested after earning a first-round bye and will send future hall of fame pitcher Justin Verlander to the mound on Saturday against Correa and the Twins.
Correa said he knew when he signed with Minnesota that for the Twins to get back to the World Series for the first time since 1991, the path would have to go through Houston. And now, with a trip to the ALCS on the line, his goal is to send his former teammates home for the offseason.
“Last year, not being able to play meaningful games in October, it didn’t feel right. I told my wife, I said, ‘I never want to miss the playoffs ever again,’ and this year we’re back at it,” Correa said. “We got one series down, and we’ve got to keep climbing. Obviously this series is special. It’s against my former team, and I’m very excited. We’re ready to go.”
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