The Houston Astros have Carlos Correa back and all seems to be right in Houston. And it didn’t take him long to remind New York Yankees fans that he still owns them. The team added closer Devin Williams this winter and it happens to be an arm Correa knows all too well: Correa got a single off Williams and scored Jose Altuve for the go-ahead in the 10th inning before Taylor Trammell hit a home run to secure a 5-3 win.
But there was more to Correa’s single off Williams than just a clutch two-strike hit. He knows Williams’ tendencies. He’s played him twice before and has had his way with him, most recently hitting a walk-off home run back in 2023. Now, with Williams in The Bronx, Correa just taunted Yankees fans by helping key a back-breaking rally.
“You know that if he’s going to get beat, he’s going to get beat with his best pitch,” Correa said after the game, per MLB.com. “That’s the changeup. He doesn’t want to get beat with his [fastball].”
Sure enough, Correa stayed on a changeup well enough to send it into center field for the go-ahead hit. But that's not all: He gave the entire team pointers on how to face Williams.
“Going over [Devin] Williams today in the hitters’ meeting, Carlos brought some really good pointers on Williams and his approach and how we should approach him,” Astros manager Espada said, per MLB.com. “So I felt really good with him coming to the plate about him facing Williams.”
The Astros wanted to run it back with Correa for a reason and he’s proving exactly why Houston brought him back.
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Carlos Correa is enjoying his homecoming in the best way possible
Correa has been playing at an elite level since his arrival back to Houston. In seven games, he’s slashing .379/.455/.552. He also has a home run and four RBI. He’s been a hit machine, proving why the Astros wanted him back so badly. Including Friday’s win, the Astros are just 3-4 since his arrival, but the uptick in offense has been important for them.
While this slight skid isn’t ideal, the Astros know what Correa can do in the postseason. And he’s teasing exactly how important his addition will be this fall.
New York Yankees can’t avoid bullpen issues after latest collapse from closer Devin Williams
Williams’ extra-innings collapse just adds to the issues the Yankees’ bullpen has been facing. Their deadline acquisitions seemingly fell apart one-by-one in their debut and the arms were highlighted as the biggest failures.
It feels like the Yankees just can’t escape the bullpen woes and hopefully it’s not what holds them back from postseason success. They added some depth and skill to the bullpen, so hopefully it pans out. But until then, Yankees fans will be haunted by both Correa and their bullpen struggles.