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HOUSTON – Lance McCullers Jr. and Carlos Correa grew up together in the Astros organization. They were separated by 40 selections atop the 2012 MLB Draft and represented the future of a Houston team that was knee deep in one of the most aggressive rebuilding moves in recent baseball history. .
McCullers and Correa made their Major League debuts within a month of each other in the summer of 2015 – helping the Astros put on a surprising playoff run just two years away from losing 111 games. They were All-Stars two years later and won a World Series, becoming key players in Houston’s fledgling new dynasty.
So perhaps it was fitting for McCullers and Correa to play hero roles on Thursday night for the Astros, who were finally able to win their fourth American League Western Championship in five seasons with a 3-2 victory over the Rays. at Minute Maid Park.
The Astros will face AL Central champion Chicago White Sox in the AL Division series, which begins Thursday. Houston’s magic number for home ground advantage in the ALDS is one.
McCullers (13-5) limited the Rays to two runs in six innings, knocking out 15 of the first 16 hitters he faced, and Correa’s career-high 25th home run – a three-runner shot in the fourth inning – gave the Astros led 3-0. The Rays made it interesting, of course, when Brandon Lowe hit a two-run homer against McCullers in the sixth, but the Houston relievers box closed the door.
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