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HOUSTON – Carlos Correa hit his career-high 25th homerun with a three-point shot and the Houston Astros won the AL West with a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.
It’s the fourth division title in five seasons and the 10th overall for the Astros. They are in the playoffs for the fifth straight season, extending a franchise record.
“It sounds pretty special,” Correa said.
The Astros open the AL Division series on Oct. 7 against the Chicago White Sox – the pitch for this best-of-five game remains to be determined. Houston has gone 5-2 against the White Sox this year.
Houston was a wild-card team last year in manager Dusty Baker’s first season with the club. So where did that division win rate go on his roster?
“Every time you win it’s ranked higher than the last time. And you never get tired of winning,” he said.
Correa’s huge fourth inning hit saw the Astros put in a home stretch where they lost five of six games behind them and let the celebration begin at Minute Maid Park.
“We’re where we are because of him,” said Astros star second baseman Jose Altuve.
Astros mascot Orbit rushed onto the pitch waving a huge orange flag that touted the team’s divisional title as players cheered and kissed after the final.
“I am proud of my team,” said Altuve. “They’ve been out there every day this season to make it happen.”
Tampa Bay, which previously clinched the AL playoff seed, placed runners in first and second without a strikeout in the ninth, but did not score.
Rays rookie Wander Franco went 0 for 4 to end a 43-game base streak, which tied him to Frank Robinson in 1956 for the longest streak in MLB history among players 20 years of age or younger.
Yuli Gurriel scored to start Houston’s fourth and Kyle Tucker walked. Correa followed with his massive shot that smashed through the wall in left field to give the Astros a 3-0 lead over Ryan Yarbrough (9-7).
The charismatic shortstop put a hand to his ear to cheer on the crowd as a rounded third base trotting the home run.
Lance McCullers Jr. (13-5) didn’t allow any hits until Ji-Man Choi scored a single to start the sixth. There were two strikeouts in the inning when Brandon Lowe scored on a right field ball that sailed just inside the post to reduce the lead to 3-2.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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