"I enjoyed that a lot, he’s a cheater” - When Keynan Middleton took a sly dig at Carlos Correa after striking out former Astro
Keynan Middleton was not impressed when he learned that Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros cheated their way to a World Series victory in 2017. It was a situation that tarnished the integrity of the league.
Middleton would not forget the scandal and wanted to get revenge in his own way. At the beginning of May 2023, while playing for the Chicago White Sox, he struck on Correa, who has been with the Minnesota Twins since 2022.
After the strikeout, Middleton was fired up. One of the reasons for his excitement was that it was his first save of the season. The other was that he harbored resentment toward Correa. White Sox won the game 6-4.
"I knew I was going to face Correa, and I don't like him. So it was kind of cool," said Keynan Middleton after the game (via CBS News).
Keynan Middleton knew he would face Carlos Correa in the ninth inning and gave it his all. He explained that he enjoyed the moment before calling Correa a "cheater."
"I like that. I enjoyed that a lot. ... I mean, he's a cheater," Middleton explained.
However, Correa would get the last laugh. In the next game, he slugged a home run, which helped the Twins defeat the White Sox 7-3 in extra innings.
Carlos Correa was unfazed by Keynan Middleton's comments
Carlos Correa did not take Keynan Middleton's comments to heart. Correa has graciously stepped into the villain role in the league and does not shy away from speaking his mind.
"I've heard worse," Correa said (via ESPN). "I'm just glad he's doing good and he's playing good and he can take care of his family,"
Correa did not have any harsh words for Middleton. Instead, he took the time to explain how regretful he was for the sign-stealing scandal in 2017.
"It's not what we stand for. It's not what we want to portray as an organization. We're definitely wrong about all of that and we really feel really sorry," Correa added.
Correa, alongside many other Astros players from that time, have spoken on multiple occasions about their regret. It has not sunk with several fans, considering the league formally punished none of the players.
Players still feel the effects of the scandal to this day. Correa is often booed whenever his name is mentioned in an opposing ballpark. This is something that will likely follow him for the rest of his career.