ALCS: George Springer, Carlos Correa Lead Astros to 8-3 Game Four Win over Yankees

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 17, 2019

American League

Houston Astros 8 New York Yankees 3

Carlos Correa

George Springer and Carlos Correa each knocked three-run homers and that was enough to squash the Yankees in game four of the AL Championship Series.

George Springer

Springer unloaded off Yankee starter, Masahiro Tanaka in the third. Correa's three-run bomb was launched off reliever Chad Green. It was Correa's second homer of the series; Springer's was his first.

The result was the Astros with a 3-1 edge in the series, leaving the Yankees on the verge of elimination and the Astros poised to head to their second World Series in the past three years. Houston was the best team in baseball in 2017, defeating the LA Dodgers, four games to three.

The Washington Nationals await the winner of the AL series after sweeping the Cardinals four straight in the NLCS.

Game five is Friday at Yankee Stadium, 7:08 pm ET.

ALCS: Carlos Correa Blasts Walk-Off 11th-Inning Homer As Houston Evens Series With Yankees

Players of the Day for Sunday, October 13, 2019

Correa: Walk-Off HR

American League

Houston Astros 3 New York Yankees 2, 11 innings

After dropping the opening game of the ALCS at home, the Astros needed a big effort and they got it from shortstop Carlos Correa.

Correa got Houston on the board in the second inning, belting a double that plated Alex Bregman with the game's first score.

Aaron Judge socked a two-run homer for the Yankees in the fourth, countered by George Springer's solo mash in the fifth, tying the game at two-all. Correa was also brilliant in the field, fielding a deflected ground ball and throwing out DJ LeMaheiu at the plate in the top of the sixth.

The game remained tied through the ninth and into extra innings, but Correa ended it with a leadoff homer in the 11th that sailed into the right field stands, evening the series at a game apiece.

Monday is a travel day for the teams, back to New York for games three, four, and five. Game three is Tuesday at 4:08 pm ET.

National League

There were no National League games on Sunday. The NLCS resumes Monday, as Washington hosts St. Louis in game three at 8:05 pm ET. The Nationals lead the series, two games to none.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Powers Braves to NL East Title; Carlos Correa Belts a Pair in Houston Win

Players of the Day for Friday, September 20, 2019

Correa: 2 HR, 3 RBI

American League

Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Carlos Correa each socked fist inning home runs and the Braves inched closer to their third straight AL West pennant with a 6-4 win over the LA Angels.

After his two-run shot in the first, Correa connected again in the third inning with a solo shot to left center. The pair of homers give him 21 on the year, along with 59 RBI in a season in which he's been out of action due to injuries twice for extended periods.

Correa missed all of June and most of July and has just returned - this was his second game back - from another month off due to a sore back. In all, he's missed nearly half the season, sitting out 80 games.

Key to Houston's success in winning the World Series in 2017, the 24-year-old shortstop and 2015 AL Rookie of the Year provides slick fielding and a potent bat to the middle of the Astros' lineup.

With their magic number at one, all Houston needs to do to clinch the division is win Saturday against the visiting Angels or have Oakland lose Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers. Houston has won six straight.

The Astros cracked 100 wins for the third straight year. In 2017, they won 101 games, and 103 in 2018. This year's squad appears to be the most potent of recent vintages. The are 101-53 and are 1 1/2 games up on the Yankees for the best AL record.

Oakland is eight game behind the Astros in the West, but holds a two-game edge on both Tampa Bay and Cleveland in the wild card race. All three have eight games left to play.

National League

Acuna Jr.: 2-2, 3 R, 2 RBI

Mike Foltynewicz threw eight innings of shutout ball and Ronald Acuna Jr. stroked his 41st home run of the year, leading the Braves to a 6-0 win over San Francisco and their second straight NL East pennant.

Fans and players alike exploded exuberantly when Acuna made the final out on a short fly ball to center. The second-year player was on base all night, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, a double and his home run. Acuna, who scored three times, surpassed the 100-RBI threshold with his two-run poke in the fifth inning. He has 101 on the year.

Voted NL Rookie of the Year in 2018 when he batted .293, hit 26 homers, drove in 64 runs, scored 78 times, and swiped 16 bases in 111 games, Acuna verified the voters' choice this season, batting .281, with 41 homers, 101 RBI, 126 runs and 37 steals. He can still add to his totals, as the Braves still have seven games left in the regular season.

Winning the NL East with a 92-70 mark in 2018, eight games better than the Washington Nationals, the Braves are even more potent this season with a 95-60 mark and a 9 1/2 game edge on the Nats. Already assured of the second-best record in the league, they have an outside chance of catching the Dodgers for the best record should they stumble in the final week. LA has a 4 1/2 game lead, at 99-55 and clinched the West division on September 9.

Atlanta has two more home games with San Francisco, Saturday and Sunday, before finishing up the regular season on the road with two in Kansas City and three in New York against the Mets.

In the wild card race, St. Louis defeated the Cubs in Chicago for the second straight day, winning, 2-1, while Milwaukee won for the 13th time in their last 15 tries, whipping the Pirates, 10-1. With Washington taking down Miami 6-4, the Brewers have taken over the second wild card, a game behind the Nationals, with the Cubs now trailing the Brewers by two games.

St. Louis continues to lead the NL Central by three games over Milwaukee. Chicago has fallen to five back.

George Springer, Carlos Correa Power Astros To 10-0 Win; Javier Baez Leads Cubs Past Rockies

Carlos Correa

Players of the Day for Friday, April 20, 2017

American League

Winning their fourth straight - a no-doubt, 10-0 slaying of the White Sox in Chicago - the Houston Astros took back first place in the AL West as the Angels fell victim to the Giants, 8-1, and dropped 1/2-game back.

George Springer

While Justin Verlander was shutting out the Sox (6IP, 2H, 5K), George Springer and Carlos Correa were doing some heavy hitting at the plate.

Springer doubled in the fourth and sixth, driving in two runs with each two-bagger, and he was still on base when Correa launched the first of two homers later in the inning. Correa socked his fourth homer in the ninth, a solo shot which completed Houston's assault.

Correa was 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs; Springer went 2-for-5 with two runs and four RBI.

The game was the opener of a three game series which continues Saturday at 7:10 pm EDT.

National League

Javier Baez continues to emerge as an star in the National League.

Javier Baez

After back-to-back seasons in which the second baseman batted .273, Baez is rocking along at .290, though most impressive are his power numbers, which keep improving.

In the Cubs' 16-5 romp at Colorado, Baez, in six at-bats, singled twice, doubled and homered, driving in four runs and scoring twice.

The Cubs banged out 18 hits against four Colorado hurlers, and scored in every innings except the second, fourth, and seventh.

Baez homered for the sixth time this season, tying him for fourth with San Diego's Christian Villanueva and Atlanta's Ozzie Albez. His 20 RBI lead the lead.

In 2016, Baez hit 14 homers and drove in 59 runs in 142 games. Last season, in 145 games, he homered 23 times and drove in 75.

The Cobs and Rockies continue their series on Saturday. Game time is 8:10 pm EDT.

Carlos Correa Leads Astros Over Rangers; Adam Eaton Goes 5-for-5 As Nationals Swamp Reds

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 31, 2018

American League

Correa: 4-5, 2B, HR, 2RBI

Houston cemented their reputation not only as the best team in baseball, but the best in Texas, taking down their in-state and divisional rival Texas Rangers, two games to one to start the season, capping off the series with a convincing 9-3 victory on Saturday.

As was often the case last year and through the Astros' run through the playoffs World Series, leading the Houston offense were Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, the infield combo that brought home the championship.

Both players had four hits on the day. While Altuve's were all singles, Correa supplied more power, singling twice, doubling, and homering in five at-bats. His home run came in the seventh, with Altuve on base.

Correa batted .315 and had 24 homers with 84 RBI last season for the Astros, despite playing in just 109 games.

Houston has taken two of three at Arlington, and will give the Rangers a chance to even the four-game series on Sunday, at 3:05 pm EDT. The Astros are tied with the Angels in the AL West. Both teams are 2-1.

National League

Eaton: 5-5, HR, 4 R, 3 RBI

Matt Adams socked a three-run homer in the first inning, and Brian Goodwin belted a grand slam in the ninth, but the steadiest hitter in Washington's 13-7 romp over the Reds was leadoff hitter Adam Eaton, who went 5-for-5 with two singles, two doubles, and a home run.

Reds' hurlers simply could not find a way to keep the sprightly Eaton off the base paths, a condition which resulted in the Nationals scoring runs in seven of their nine innings. Eaton scored four times, in the first, third, fifth and on his home run in the seventh. The only time he didn't score was in the eighth, when he drove in two runs with a two-out single, giving him three RBI on the day.

Now in his seventh year in the majors, Eaton was his most productive from 2013 to 2016, when he was a regular starter with the White Sox. The Nationals acquired him after the 2016 season, but he played in just 23 games last season. In two games this year, it's going to be tough to keep him and his .750 batting average out of the lineup.

The win left the Nats tied with the Mets atop the NL East, at 2-0. Washington will finish up their series in Cincinnati at 4:10 pm EDT Sunday, looking for the sweep.

Astros Finish 2nd As Carlos Correa Socks Grand Slam; Giants' Chris Stratton Blanks A's

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Grapefruit League

Correa: Grand Slam

In the Spring Training finale for both teams, Carlos Correa's first-inning grand slam propelled the Houston Astros to an 8-1 win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.

Ironically, Milwaukee ended up in first place in the Cactus League, while the Astros, despite winning their last three games, finished 1/2-game behind the Boston Red Sox in the Grapefruit League. Closing out the preseason with a 4-2 win over the Cubs, the Red Sox won their last five and nine of their last 10 to capture the flag from Florida.

Correa crushed his third homer of the season off Milwaukee starter Zach Davies, who suffered the loss. The Houston shortstop finished the Spring with an even .300 average. In 2017, Correa batted .315 with 24 home runs and 84 RBI, leading the Astros to their first World Series championship.

In the post-season, Correa was instrumental to Houston's success, batting .288 with five homers and 14 RBI.

Milwaukee lost its last three games but still managed to hold on for a 1/2-game edge over Cleveland in the Cactus League.

Stratton tosses 5 scoreless

Cactus League

The Giants were rude hosts to their crosstown rival as they shut out the Oakland A's 3-0 in a Spring Training close-out game.

Chris Stratton threw five scoreless innings against the A's, evening his record at 1-1. He fanned three, walked one and allowed four hits.

A call-up last season, Stratton appeared in 13 games, 10 of them starting assignments. His 4-4 mark in 2017 was good enough to secure the fifth spot in the rotation for the Giants heading into 2018.

A 6'2" right-hander, Stratton fanned 51 batters in 58 2/3 innings last season, though he did walk 28 over that span.

The Giants open the regular season at Los Angeles Thursday against the Dodgers, while the A's host the Angels.

Justin Verlander, Carlos Correa Lead Astros Over Yankees; Yasiel Puig Propels Dodgers In NLCS Game One

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 14, 2017

American League

Verlander: 9 IP, 1 ER, 13 K

Justin Verlander went the distance for the Astros, as Houston forged a two games to none lead in the AL Championship Series with their second straight 2-1 victory over the visiting New York Yankees.

Verlander struck out 13 in the complete game win, touched up for the sole Yankee run in the fifth inning when Aaron Hicks and Todd Frazier hit back-to-back doubles. Hicks doubled into the left-center gap with two outs, and Frazier stroked a ground rule double to the same area, scoring Hicks. The run tied the game after Carlos Correa's solo homer in the fourth put the Astros up, 1-0.

Correa: HR, 2 RBI

Verlander allowed just five hits, winning his third game in this post-season. He's tossed 16 strikeouts in 17 innings, with a 2.04 ERA.

Correa also drove in the game-winning run, as Jose Altuve raced home from first on Correa's one-out double in the bottom of the ninth off Yankee reliever Aroldis Chapman. The 23-year-old shortstop has three homers and nine RBI in the 2017 post-season.

With the two-game lead in hand, Houston heads to New York where games three, four, and five (if necessary) will take place. Game three is Monday at 8:08 pm ET at Yankee Stadium.

National League

The Cobs and Dodgers began the National League Championship Series (NLCS) Saturday with Los Angeles taking the opener, 5-2, rallying from a 2-0 fourth-inning deficit.

Puig: HR, 2 RBI

Clayton Kershaw worked five innings as the starter for LA, but was dinged on a two-run homer by Albert Almora Jr. in the fourth. Following the fifth inning, five Dodger relievers held Chicago scoreless, while Yasiel Puig keyed the comeback with a fifth-inning RBI double and a seventh inning solo homer.

Chris Taylor also belted a solo shot in the sixth, breaking the 2-2 tie.

Puig is batting .467 (7-for-15) in the post-season, with six RBI and one home run.

Game two of the series is Sunday, 7:38 pm ET at Dodger Stadium.

Giancarlo Stanton Belts 2 HR In Miami Win; Carlos Correa, Houston Bomb Boston, 12-2

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 28, 2017

American League

Correa lashes Red Sox

In what very well could be a preview of the ALDS, Houston smashed Boston, 12-2, in the opener of a four-game series at Fenway Park.

The Astros trail Cleveland by one game in the race for the league's best record. The team with the best mark in the regular season has home field advantage throughout the playoffs and will face the wild card team in the opening round of the playoffs. As it stands, Houston would host Boston in a best of five divisional series, so the spanking taken by the Red Sox should prove a warning to the Boston faithful.

With the Yankees losing to the Rays, 9-6, Boston's magic number was reduced to one, the Yankees missing a golden opportunity to close the gap on the Red Sox, who lead the AL East by three games. With three games remaining, a Boston win or a Yankee loss would secure the division title.

Carlos Correa led the Astros' 17-hit assault on seven Boston pitchers with four of his own, scoring three times and driving in three with a pair of singles, a double and a two-run homer - his 24th - in four at-bats.

Correa, who was the 2015 Rookie of the Year and an all star in 2017, is batting .315 with 84 RBI.

Boston hosts Houston Friday at 7:10 pm ET in game two of their season-ending series.

National League

Stanton: 59 HR, 129 RBI

Back home in Miami, Giancarlo Stanton was back in his best groove, swatting a pair of home runs in the Marlins' 7-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

Stanton, chasing Babe Ruth and Roger Maris, has already surpassed all non-steroid-era National Leaguers in the category of most home runs in a single season. His homers on Thursday were his 58th and 59th.

Stanton socked a solo shot in the fourth and followed up with a two-run dinger in the eighth inning. He also singled and scored three times. His total of 129 RBI has him tied with Colorado's Nolan Arenado for the National League and major league lead. Nelson Cruz leads the AL with 117.

Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs for the Yankees in 1927, a record that lasted 34 years, until another Yankee, Roger Maris broke the record with 61 in 1961. It is worth noting when Ruth set the mark, the regular season consisted of 154 games. When Maris did it, teams played 162.

Stanton will have three more chances to hit even more baseballs into the far reaches of Marlins Stadium. Miami hosts the Braves for the final three games of the season. Friday's game is scheduled for 7:10 pm ET.

Kyle Freeland Just Misses No-Hitter, Rockies Win, 10-0; Carlos Correa Homers Twice In 19-1 Win At Toronto

Correa: 4-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 9, 2017

American League

In their last outing prior to the all-star break, the Houston Astros sent a reminder to the rest of the league that they are the team to beat on the road to the World Series.

Houston battered a total of seven Toronto pitchers in their 19-1 victory, splitting the four game series in Toronto, two games apiece, though the Astros dominated in their wins, taking Friday's game two, 12-2.

Hammering out 17 hits, four of them belonged to this year's AL all-star selection at shortstop, Carlos Correa.

Going 4-for-5, Correa drove in five runs with his 19th and 20th home runs, the latter a three-run delivery to center field in the seventh inning, the first a solo shot in the second. His other two hits were singles, bringing his average to a solid .325, fourth league-wide. His 65 RBI are third in the league behind Seattle's Nelson Cruz (70) and the Yankees' Aaron Judge (66).

Only 22, Correa isn't exactly new to the majors. In fact, he's in his third season, but has really broken out this year, his batting average more than 50 points higher than his 2016 mark of .274

The victory left the AL West much as it was prior to the game, with the Angels, Rangers, Mariners and A's looking up at runaway, 60-29, Houston, with a 16 1/2 game division lead. None of the other teams in the division have a winning record.

National League

Freeland misses no-hitter

Late June and early July haven't been a picnic for the Colorado Rockies. A combined 4-13 since June 21, the Rockies slipped to third place in the NL West as the Dodgers took off to lead the division.

In the final game before the all-star break, the Rockies got a much-needed shot of optimism in the form of a near no-hitter thrown by rookie left-hander, Kyle Freeland.

Not allowing a hit until Melky Cabrera spoiled the show with a clean single to left field with one out in the ninth, Freeland was within two outs of the record books as the Rockies routed the visiting White Sox, 10-0.

At the very least, the Rockies can take some comfort that their rookie hurler is 9-7 and that they took the series with Chicago, two games to one.

Having thrown 126 pitches, Freeland was taken out right after Cabrera's hit, receiving a warm ovation from the partisan crowd. Jordan Lyles got the final two outs in order in the ninth.

Freeland's grand outing came somewhat out of the blue. Suffering losses in his last three outings, he had allowed 14 earned runs in those games, in a total of 17 1/3 innings.

The Rockies go into the break 52-39, 9 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the division. Arizona is in second place, 7 1/2 out.

Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel Keep Houston in Playoff Race; Cubs' Jake Arrieta Improves to 22-6

Players of the Day for Friday, October 2, 2015

American League

Carlos Correa

Keuchel: 20-8

Houston remained in the running for the AL West, whipping the Arizona Diamondbacks, 21-5, while the Angels took a game from the first-place Rangers, 2-1, leaving Houston two games behind Texas with two games remaining.

Arrieta: 22-6

Houston starter, Dallas Keuchel, picked up what was probably the easiest win of the season, tossing six innings and allowing two runs on six hits, fanning three. The win made Keuchel the sole 20-game winner in the American League, at 20-8.

Carlos Correa was the hitting star for the Astros, going 3-for-4 with a single, triple, solo home run, four RBI and four runs.

The Astros will look to make it three wins in a row and two straight against Arizona when they take the field Saturday at 8:10 pm EDT. Houston is one game up on the Angles and two games better than Minnesota in the race for the second wild card.

They have a chance to be the home team for the wild card game, but the Yankees (postponed Friday) would have to lose all three of their games in Baltimore this weekend. The Yanks have a double-header in Baltimore on Saturday and close out the season at Camden Yards on Sunday.

National League

Jake Arrieta improved to 22-6, as the Chicago Cubs kept pressure on the Pirates in the wild card race with a 6-1 victory over the Brewers in Milwaukee Friday.

Arrieta worked six innings, allowed two hits and no runs, striking out seven.

Chicago remained two games back of Pittsburgh as the Pirates prevailed over the Reds, 6-4, in 12 innings, extending the Reds' losing streak to 13 games.

Both the Pirates and Cubs have two games left to play, so the Pirates, with a win or a Chicago loss, could wrap up the wild card home field on Saturday.

The Cubs go back to work Saturday night at 7:10 pm EDT when they face the Brewers in game two of their three-game series.