The Carlos Correa Effect
If there’s a player how can rally the team and inspire them to bounce back after the type of loss suffered in Game 3, it’s Carlos Correa.
The impact of what he can do for the Twins was on full display in Game 2. Correa got it done with both is bat and glove, but showed a calm veteran presence that we haven’t seen around the Twins in moments like this in the past. Down 0-1 in the series, the Twins dominated Houston so casually that it gave off the impression that they’d been doing it forever. The effortlessness of the win was a wholly new experience, and it all revolved around the leadership of Correa and the aura he has this time of year.
Usually a loss like the one that happened in Game 3 would break the team and dissolve all hope for fans that the team can fight back. With Correa, there’s a confidence that didn’t exist before, and the belief that he can help the team pick themselves up off the mat and get back into the fight.
He’s also just been really darn good this postseason. He had a clutch defensive play in Game 1 of the AL WIld Card, saving a run and helping preserve the streak-snapping victory. His bat has come to life too, as he came into Game 3 slashing .533/.588/.733 with 4 RBI and a base hit in every game so far. Even in the loss on Tuesday, Correa was one of three Twins to record a hit, and scored the team’s only run of the game.
When he’s hot, the Twins look unbeatable but when he struggles the team struggles with him. We saw that in Game 3 when he was slow to start and the rest of the Twins offense followed suit.
So goes Correa, so go the Twins.
These are the types of moments that the Twins paid Correa $200 million for. He already proved his worth in Game 2 and can earn every penny of his contract with another clutch performance to keep the Twins season alive.