If there is a player on the Minnesota Twins roster who knows how to play in the postseason, it’s Carlos Correa.
A former No. 1 overall pick in 2012 with the Houston Astros, Correa was made for the bright lights.
With Houston, he played in five American League Championship Series and two World Series, winning one in 2017.
Not only that, but he is seventh all-time in postseason home runs with 18 and sixth in RBI with 60.
Fun fact: the guy is 29 years old.
Correa, without setting the world on fire as a hitter this year, always finds a way to contribute in the postseason.
Always.
On Wednesday, during Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series against the Toronto Blue Jays, his experience and smarts were on display in one key play.
In the fifth inning, with Toronto having runners at second and third base and two outs, pitcher Sonny Gray picked off Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at the keystone and ended the threat.
The pick-off throw was called by Correa, who had seen Guerrero take a big lead.
The seasoned shortstop had picked up on one detail: the raucous crowd was so loud that Guerrero wouldn’t’ have heard if his third-base coach told him to get back.
The Twins had scored two runs to take the lead in the previous inning.
Losing the lead at that point would have made it a whole different game in all likelihood.
The Twins took advantage.
Gray praised his shortstop after the game.
“Sonny Gray on Carlos Correa: ‘His calmness, his demeanor — there’s not a moment that’s too big. Superstars show up in the biggest moments,'” Twins insider Dan Hayes tweeted.
Sonny Gray on Carlos Correa: "His calmness, his demeanor — there's not a moment that's too big. Superstars show up in the biggest moments." #MNTwins
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) October 5, 2023
The Twins, winners of the AL Central division, held on and advanced to the next round.
Now, they will start the Division Series against the Astros on Saturday, mostly thanks to Correa.
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