Carlos Correa struck out to end the game in the Twins’ 6-4 loss to the White Sox Wednesday night and immediately afterward he was served a reminder that he was part of the cheating Houston Astros team that won the World Series in 2017.
The man who struck out Correa was Chicago right-hander Keynan Middleton.
‘‘I knew I was going to face Correa, and I don’t like him,’’ Middleton said. ‘‘I enjoyed that.’’
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, a reporter heard Middleton’s statement and wondered why he doesn’t like the Twins’ $200 million shortstop.
“You don’t like him?” a reporter asked.
“Not even a little bit,” Middleton answered.
Asked why, Middleton replied: “I mean, he’s a cheater.”
Correa had faced Middleton twice before and doubled off him both times. Those at-bats came when Correa was with the Astros in 2020 and 2021, while Middleton was pitching for the Angels and Mariners, respectively.
Overall, it was a rough night for Correa despite his two-run double in the third inning. In the seventh inning he came to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out and he grounded out to the shortstop, who threw home for a force play. The Twins wound up leaving the bases loaded in a 4-4 tie and the Sox took advantage with runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings for their third straight win.
The 2017 Astros won the World Series and Correa slugged five home runs that postseason, including homers in Games 2 and 5 of their World Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Major League Baseball investigated the Astros and found that they constructed an elaborate system to steal signs via electronics, including a video feed from a camera in center field that helped determine what pitches were coming. Players also drummed on a trash can to help inform batters what pitches the opposing pitchers were throwing.
The Twins will try to avoid being swept when they take the field for Thursday’s game at 1:10 p.m.
