The Houston Astros finished out a series victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon with a 7-1 smackdown in the Bronx. Carlos Correa did his part, contributing two hits and two runs — including this ninth-inning tank off of Tim Hill to cushion a late lead for Houston.
Carlos Correa provides a 9th-inning insurance run for the @Astros! pic.twitter.com/u166lwG8Rq
— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2025
The home run itself was enough to get Astros fans excited. But Correa's celebration caught plenty of eyeballs. As he rounded third, the veteran shortstop appeared to wag his finger. It's an innocent enough jesture on the surface, but there's a hidden meaning — one that Astros and Yankees fans alike know well.
Correa was central to Houston's 2019 World Series run, which featured a gutsy ALCS victory over the Yankees. That team will live on in infamy, however, as the Astros were cheating. Correa was right in the middle of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal that season, which involved allegedly hidden buzzers and loud banging from the dugout.
When Jose Altuve rocketed a two-run walkoff home run against the Yankees to secure Houston's World Series berth on Oct. 19, 2019, he gave his own teammates the finger wag. That led to countless hours of online speculation, with fans coming to believe that Altuve did not want his teammates to tear off his jersey and accidentally reveal the hidden buzzer underneath.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the Discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Carlos Correa calls back to Astros 2019 ALCS victory over Yankees
Altuve wagged his finger and then clung tightly to his uniform as he crossed home plate back in 2019. It was a telltale act and the source of much controversy. It's not really a proud moment for Astros fans in hindsight. That said, Correa calling back to it — call it tone deaf, call it cruel — is very funny. Because we know he wasn't using a wire on Sunday afterrnoon. He cranked that homer the old-fashioned way, teeing off on a slider hanging up in the zone.
It does feel like this Astros team has some of its old mojo back after a disappointing 2024 campaign. Correa's production has fallen off in recent years, but he's still a bonafide All-Star talent in the infield. It also can't hurt to be back where it all started, on a team he knows can go the distance in a wide-open American League.
It does look like that, which is tremendous https://t.co/lFJLhRt6H7
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) August 10, 2025
Carlos Correa is thriving back in an Astros uniform
It was is ultimately a very predictable heel turn, Correa is hitting lights-out since returning to Houston. He is central to Astros lore, a true franchise legend, despite all the negatives associated with that tainted World Series run in 2019.
Going into Sunday's game, Correa was batting .406 with a 1.049 OPS since his Astros reunion. He's now up to 15-for-37 with five walks, two home runs and five RBI in nine appearances post-trade deadline.
That is an unsustainable pace, but Correa looks rejuvenated. We know he's deeply comfortable with the Astros organization. There are a lot of familiar faces and he knows the confines of Daikin Park like the back of his hand. It's not hard to imagine that Correa's numbers will remain in an elevated realm the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, Yankees fans are understandably frustrated. Correa calling back to a sign-stealing scandal and a hotly contested victory is not great form, but hey — don't give up a home run and he doesn't get a chance to rub it in.