Jose Altuve is looking forward to facing former teammate Carlos Correa in high-stakes ALDS: “We have to beat him, even though we like him a lot"
On Oct. 7, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa will come face-to-face in the postseason for the first time. Although the infield duo used to be one of the most dynamic pairs in the game, there appears to be no love lost.
In 2015, Correa burst on to the scene for the Astros. That season, the Puerto Rican hit .279/.345/.512 with 22 home runs and 68 RBIs, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Two seasons later, after Altuve won an MVP of his own, the pair were side by side to hoist the first World Series in Astros history.
After making it back to the 2021 World Series, albeit in a losing effort against the Atlanta Braves, Correa shocked Astros fans. The shortstop announced that he would not re-sign with the team, opting to ink a three-year, $105.3 million deal with the Minnesota Twins instead.
While Jose Altuve remained in Houston and won the franchise's second World Series in 2022, the season was very different for Correa. After registering his highest batting average since 2017, Correa opted out of his three-year deal with the Twins.
After deals with both the New York Mets and Giants fell through, Correa eventually came back to the Twins. He hit .230/.312/.399 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs in the first year of his new, six-year, $200 million deal with Minnesota.
On Oct. 4, Correa and the Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card Series to clinch a berth against Jose Altuve and the Astros in the ALDS. According to Chandler Rome, a beat writer for The Athletic, Altuve had some welcoming words for his former teammate:
“We have to beat him, even though we like him a lot,” Jose Altuve said of Carlos Correa." - Chandler Rome
Correa played a key role in lifting the Minnesota Twins over the Jays. In Game 1, a heads-up play gunned down Jays runner Bo Bichette at the plate, while a pivotal pick-off of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was initiated by the shortstop.
Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa represent David and Goliath
The differences between the Astros and the Twins could not be more stark. The Astros have been to the postseason every year since 2016 and have won two World Series.
Meanwhile, the Twins are a team made up mostly of playoff amateurs. Either way, the ALDS, which kicks off on Saturday, is bound to be very entertaining.