Bronx, NY- Twins manager Rocco Baldelli saw his team salvage the finale of a four game series in the Bronx with the Yankees Thursday night, and the win set up a key AL Central meeting with the Cleveland Guardians that begin tomorrow evening at Target Field.
Carlos Correa had a deciding home run in a 4-3 win at Yankee Stadium and his second in two games means October is almost here. Correa is known for getting the huge hits in the postseason and during a September run to get there.
But when the Twins entered their victorious clubhouse, after reliever Michael Fulmer notched his third save that left Yankees runners stranded, he gave the victory speech.
And in the middle of it all it was Carlos Correa, because as Baldelli said, Correa is always the center of attention with the Twins who are battling the Guardians in a close division race.
Then again, when is Carlos Correa not the center of attention? He led the Astros to a World Series championship and was a coveted free agent in the offseason. He has the contract and can opt out and test free agency again.
But, as Correa says, his goal is to lead the Twins to the postseason and take it one step at a time. He has a tendency of always coming up with the big hit and September is his time of year.
“Carlos led the victory speech most of the time,” Baldelli said.“Carlos with that enormous swing. He looked good this series and came up huge. He got us going.”
Correa saw the slider with one on in the 8th inning, off a 1-2 pitch. The Twins greeted Correa in the dugout, after all he has become their leader. Of course Yankees fans gave Correa a bad Bronx cheer, more so because they will never forget the 2017 Astros World Series championship team that was implicated in a sign-stealing scandal, a time when Correa was also the center of attention.
But for now, Correa has made his home in Minnesota. For now he is focused on leading the Twins to the postseason, and a slash line of .320/.404/.620 with 16 hits, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, and 10 RBI in his last 13 games shows he is ready for October.
Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The Yankees had their four-game winning streak stopped and perhaps had this one with many lost opportunities, a team that continues to struggle with adversity of injuries and a failure to score runs as the Tampa Bay Rays come to the Bronx Friday night for an important three game series trailing the division leaders by 4-½ games.
During the offseason, there was speculation that Correa would be commanding shortstop and bringing his potent bat to the Bronx, but the Yankees had other plans. Regardless, Correa loves playing at Yankee Stadium in that role as the enemy and visiting player.
“There’s extra energy motivation when you play on such a big stage like Yankee Stadium,” he said. “There’s a little more adrenaline, a little more focus, a little more hunger to just win games. The fans, here they not only bring the best to their home players, they bring the best out of the away player.”
A few weeks ago, Corera said he would be participating in the World Baseball Classic next March as a member of team Puerto Rico. He takes pride in his Puerto Rican heritage and anticipates bringing a championship home out of the WBC.
Correa said, anticipation is growing for a return of the WBC, halted the past few years due to the COVID pandemic and work stoppage towards a new CBA with players and owners.
But there still is a lot of baseball to be played. The Twins are battling for a division title or one of three AL wild card spots, so the focus is to get there. Though his team lost three of four in the Bronx the momentum is in the right direction and the home run ball is more frequent.
But the big moment, as Correa says will come when the Twins get to the postseason.
“That’s what I strive for,” he said. “I don’t look at individual accomplishments at any of that stuff. I look at the ultimate goal and that’s where you are standing when October comes. That’s our focus right now. We still have a chance to win the division.”
He stood in that Twins clubhouse and was the last man speaking. They lost another series to the Yankees in the Bronx, but Carlos Correa may just be getting started.
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer @Latinosports.com. Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com Watch “Sports with Rich” live on Tuesday Nights at 8pm EST on The SLG Network/Youtube with Robert Rizzo Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify under The SLG Network.
