Should Carlos Correa have thrown home to limit World Series bleeding?

Carlos Correa got a safe out as a run scored in the second inning to put the Astros down 3-0 early in World Series Game 1. But should he have thrown home?

Game 1 of the World Series really did not start out ideally for the Houston Astros. In fact, you would be safe calling it a nightmare.

On the first at-bat of the game, Braves leadoff hitter Jorge Soler launched a solo home run over the left field wall. Atlanta then added another run in the first inning. That didn’t stop there, though.

The Braves put runners on second and third in the following inning against the Astros with just one out recorded to that point. That’s when Soler hit a groundball to Houston shortstop Carlos Correa, who scooped it up. But rather than trying to throw Travis D’Arnaud out at home, he tagged Joc Pederson out between second and third as the runner scored to make it a 3-0 Houston deficit.

And in the aftermath, some were wondering if Correa made the right play because D’Arnaud looked like he possibly could’ve been thrown out at home.

Should Carlos Correa have thrown home to try and prevent another World Series Game 1 run?

Ultimately, on a stage like the World Series when the Astros were already bleeding, Carlos Correa probably made the right play.

We can’t know for sure what would’ve happened if he threw home but it was not a sure out by any stretch, even if the Braves catcher isn’t the most fleet of foot.

The Astros also only ended up allowing that one run in the second inning, speaking to the smarts of Correa to make the play he did rather than trying to be the hero. Had he thrown home and not gotten D’Arnaud, that would’ve left runners at first and third and still one out, which could’ve made things much, much worse.

Unfortunately for Correa, Framber Valdez couldn’t stop allowing home runs. And on those plays, it doesn’t matter what the shortstop would do because he’s just watching the ball sail over the fence.