Twins star Carlos Correa is once again October’s Iron Man in Houston

Twins star Carlos Correa is once again October's Iron Man in Houston
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October, when baseball is at its most open and transparent, establishes the value of a player more accurately than any metric, pay stub, agent, arbitration process, award, or algorithm. The brutality of a tiny sample size clashes with the significance of the data.

Understanding the Twins’ clubhouse during Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Astros is crucial to understanding this crucible. Carlos Correa, who had a.230 hitting average and 1.4 WAR in the poorest regular season of his career, oversaw the hitters’ meeting as the Twins were ready to face Houston starter Framber Valdez in what was essentially a must-win game for Minnesota.

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Correa appeared to be the ideal candidate to preside over the meeting having played seven seasons with Houston. In reality, though, this was nothing new. Although the analytics team at Minnesota will prepare a stew of statistics and trends, coaches and players like Correa, not analysts, will condense and present the information.

Correa informed his teammates, “We are going to get him out over the plate.” “As a result, we’ll give him away. The ball away is where he wants to get you out, so don’t look there. Get him to stand and move him away from the plate.

Another October night was just getting started, and it would soon demonstrate Correa’s worth. The first run was scored by Correa’s run-scoring double off of Valdez’s curveball that he ripped up and over the plate, and the final two runs were driven in by Correa’s two-run single off of Valdez’s sinker over the middle of the plate. Correa contributed three hits and three RBI to a 6-2 victory that featured a scriptwriter’s flourish: the shortstop sprawled to the ground to field a hard hit before hurling a dart to first base.

Kyle Farmer, a Twins infielder, describes him as Iron Man. “When he dons that playoff mask, he transforms into a different player. It’s amazing to watch him. His postseason statistics caught my eye, and they are absurd. He has postseason statistics, after all, that would be excellent in a regular season.

Correa has an OPS of.872 in 83 postseason games, which is significantly higher than his regular season OPS of.819 (18 home runs, 63 RBI). On the postseason RBI chart, he overtook David Ortiz and Derek Jeter. “Wow. Two individuals who I watched growing up,” he claims. Correa has more postseason RBI than only Manny Ramirez (78) and Bernie Williams (80).

We have a series tied at one game each with the mouthwatering possibility of a staring match between Justin Verlander & Pablo López in Game 5 on Friday at Minute Maid Park after five straight series this year began (and frequently finished) at 2-0. The ace hasn’t yet blinked. López followed up Game 1’s six scoreless innings from Verlander with seven more in Game 2. As the only Minnesota pitcher to throw seven or more shutout innings in a postseason game, he joined his countryman and childhood hero Johan Santana (2004 ALDS) & Jack Morris (1991 World Series) as the only other pitchers to accomplish this feat.

Houston has hosted 41 postseason games since the Astros’ run started in 2017 at Minute Maid Park. In those 41 games, no visitor pitcher has ever thrown seven shutout innings. Prior to Lopez doing it. He was that skilled, threading his five pitches like a master tailor using a needle and thread, in and out of the strike zone. Everything about López is very deliberate, including his training, thoughts, preparations, eating habits, speech patterns, and especially the things he chooses to toss and where to hurl them.

Pablo is simply a wonderful person, according to Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. “He would be a wonderful physician, a great lawyer, or brilliant at anything he decided to be if he weren’t a baseball player. I have no doubts about that.

Correa more closely resembles a baseball rat, an epithet used to describe someone who lives and breathes the sport. Their enthusiasm is for it. their nourishment.

You can see it now, according to Farmer. “He has a certain vibe about him, and everything he does has a different kind of locked-inness. He knows what it takes to win, therefore it’s fun to play with someone like him. He improves everyone else.

I inquired as to whether Farmer played with any other kids like Correa.

“Justin Turner,” says Farmer. “When Justin and I played together for the Dodgers, he taught me so much. The focus is on detail and baseball IQ. When Justin entered the on-deck circle, I would keep an eye on him. For the following two to three minutes, he seemed to be intensely preparing himself. It seems as though he changed into someone else. Carlos is similar to Justin.

If you enjoy baseball, you must appreciate the baseball knowledge Correa has brought to his four games so far in October. For a coffee connoisseur, it’s like Arabica beans in a French press in baseball.

Bo Bichette of Toronto was struck out with a fantastic sidearm dart that he delivered to home plate while running. (To be fair, Correa’s first baseman was dozing off throughout the play and failed to support third baseman, Jorge Polanco.)

There was the deception he planned to remove pitcher Sonny Gray from a second-and-third jam by picking off Jays runner Vlad Guerrero Jr. at second base. Gray was informed by Correa in the first inning that Target Field was so loud that a runner at second base would not be able to hear the third base coach’s instructions, which would be excellent cover for running a back pick timing play with the aid of Pitchcom. Correa gave the all-clear (contrary to stories that Gray indicated Correa or that a Twins coach in the dugout informed Gray), and catcher Ryan Jeffers, Gray, and Correa were all on board with the scheme thanks to a button Jeffers touched on Pitchcom.

A pitch bounced away from Jeffers, giving veteran Astros first baseman Jose Abreu the impression that he had an easy opportunity to advance from first base in ALDS Game 1. By giving the “all-clear” signal with his palm up and waiting to raise his glove to collect a seed of a throw from Jeffers, Correa gave Abreu a false sense of security. Correa even finished the move with a no-look tag, similar to sticking the landing on a triple Lutz.

When he played as Iron Man on Sunday night, Houston’s night was ruined by the masked vigilante who ran Valdez’s pregame strategy, hit three home runs, and displayed outstanding defense.

Dusty Baker, the manager of Houston, accommodated Correa’s output by allowing him to face Valdez three times. Valdez was struggling, leaving more pitches up, and was at his wits’ end when Correa came to bat with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning of a 3-0 game. In the bullpen, Baker had righthander Phil Maton warming up.

Sincerely, Correa admits, “I thought they were planning to bring in Maton.”

They failed to.

Farmer remarks of Valdez, “We were expecting to see plenty more of his curveball tonight.” He never really threw it that far. Yes, that was unexpected.

It seemed as though Correa’s ringing double in the very first inning had snatched that curveball away from him.

Baker was in a challenging situation. He was wagering the game on Valdez making a double-play grounder by allowing Valdez to remain in the contest. After all, Valdez threw more double-play grounders this year than any other left-hander in MLB. Pitcher for flyballs, Maton.

Baker was hoping that one pitch would free him from his situation. However, even Valdez only receives a double play 15% of the time when everything is in line. The biggest danger was giving Correa a third shot against a weary Valdez, allowing a clutch hitter another chance to succeed against a lefty.

When it matters most, he “seems to really take his attention, channel it, and focus it, and just play more effectively over and over again,” according to Baldelli. It’s not a coincidence. There is no chance that this is a lottery. He never misses a chance to strike.

The highest Baldelli had hit Correa since the middle of September was fourth in Game 2 after moving him up from sixth in Game 1’s batting order. Metrics or matchups had little to do with the thinking.

October, declares Baldelli.

The calendar was sufficient evidence on its own. He made no attempt to run it by Correa. The lineup was merely posted.

When you watch him perform these tasks on the field, you can tell that he has been working on them for a lifetime, claims Baldelli. “We are not shocked. We selected the player and intentionally placed him in the middle of the lineup today because we think he will act in that manner. It’s challenging to continue doing it, but he persists.

Correa still resides in Houston. He makes contact with Houston bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte throughout the offseason. J.C., his brother, a catcher in the Astros’ organization, joins them. José Altuve, the second baseman for the Astros, stays close.

During the season, Altuve said, “We communicate frequently via text and talk.” “Right before the season finished, we texted one more time. No, we won’t be texting this week. I believe we should hold off until after the series.

For six October, Correa’s ability to deliver in crunch time helped Altuve and the Astros. Correa called this ability “My time,” and after hitting a game-winning home run in the 2021 ALCS, he almost operatically characterized it by pointing to an imagined wristwatch. On the other end right now are the Astros. They are unable to watch the show while relaxing. They need to figure up a strategy to halt the October Iron Man.

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