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While Sunday was Carlos Correa’s last regular season game with the Astros, his teammates made sure he came out in style.
As the players prepared to race the field for the start of the first inning against Oakland, they let Correa, who will become a free agent after this season, run to his place in the infield, while his teammates stayed behind so he could be the only player on the pitch and receive a standing ovation from the crowd. A surprised Correa knelt in the dirt from inside the field when he realized he was the only player on the pitch and his teammates were applauding him from the dugout. Correa raised his cap to the crowd as many participants stood up and applauded.
“They told me to go out first – I never go out first, I always go out last – but they pushed me to go out first, so I was like, ‘They want me to go first for a reason. “” said Correa. noted. “I went there and they stayed and that obviously meant a lot to me.”
In the eighth inning, Correa landed a home run to right field – his career-high 26th of the year – and pointed the finger at his teammates in the dugout as he made his way to first base, as he does it regularly. When he got back to the canoe, there were even more hugs than usual for the star shortstop.
“I knew it was my last at-bat of the year and I was trying to do something cool,” Correa said. “Thank goodness I had this circuit. It was special to run the bases, I’ll tell you.”
Astros manager Dusty Baker sent Correa back to the pitch with his teammates for the start of the ninth, but then pulled him out of the game, giving the crowd a chance to give him a standing ovation as he left the ground. Before exiting, Correa stopped to hug left fielder Yordan Alvarez, then each infielder en route to the dugout. He stopped near the first baseline to flip his cap and turn around to greet the fans. He was greeted in the canoe with more hugs from his teammates.
“He deserved it and deserved it,” Baker said after the Astros’ 7-6 win. “He and the crowd are one. They grew up with Carlos and Carlos grew up with them. Carlos is a big part of this city and a big part of this organization.”
Correa’s wife Daniella, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child, posted her reaction on Twitter.
“Just the way my teammates treat me and the way they take care of me and the respect they have and the love they have for me,” Correa said. “The ninth round, which they did right there, was really special, letting me leave the pitch. I’m not a town crier, but I wanted to cry. Very emotional, man. I want to thank all of my teammates and the personal trainer for making this possible, because it was so special to me. “
Ahead of the season, the Astros offered Correa a five-year, $ 125 million contract, but the 27-year-old said he was looking for a “big, long contract”. He’s had a career year this season, reaching 0.279 with career highs in home runs (26) and points (105), plus 92 RBIs, which is just four short of his career best. His 7.2 wins over substitution (WAR) are the best for a positional player in all of baseball. Correa also has a good chance of winning her first Golden Glove.
Correa and the Astros open the American League Division series against the White Sox on Thursday at Minute Maid Park.
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