The Houston Astros lost a franchise icon in Carlos Correa when he chose to sign with the Minnesota Twins this past offseason.
But they had somebody waiting in the wings who was ready to claim the job for his own in Jeremy Pena.
During the regular season, Pena hit .253 with 22 home runs and 63 RBI and made all of Houston forget about Correa.
In the postseason, he has gone deep four times and hit for a .333 average while posting a 1.005 OPS.
Game 5 of the World Series was no exception, as the rookie phenom and ALCS MVP picked up three hits and drove in two runs.
After the game, Jose Altuve was asked about Pena and what he means to the Astros, and he had nothing but good things to say about his teammate.
"I said it in spring training, this kid is a superstar."
Jose Altuve spoke with @scottbraun after the Game 5 win about Jeremy Peña and the importance of setting the tone.#MLBTonight | #LevelUp | #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/4ZGx3MbmX3
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 4, 2022
Altuve Praises Pena
The 25-year-old Pena may be on his way to winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
Altuve certainly seems to think so.
Pena set the tone for Houston in Game 5 last night, driving in a run on an RBI single in the top of the first, just two batters into the game.
He also hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth after the Phillies had battled back to tie the game on Kyle Schwarber‘s solo home run.
With Correa gone, the Astros had to find a replacement at shortstop, but were lucky enough to find one internally who has taken the job and provided Houston with a spark this postseason.
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