If Sunday was Carlos Correa's final regular season game with the Astros, his teammates made sure he went out in style.
As the players were preparing to jog onto the field for the top of the first inning against Oakland, they let Correa, who will become a free agent after this season, jog to his spot on the infield, while his teammates hung back so he could be the only player on the field and receive an ovation from the crowd. A surprised Correa knelt down in the infield dirt when he realized he was the only player on the field and his teammates were clapping for him from the dugout. Correa tipped his cap to the crowd as many in attendance stood and cheered.
"They told me to go out first - I never go out first, I always go out last - but they were pushing me to go out first, so I was like, 'They want me to go first for a reason,'" Correa said. "I went out there and they stayed behind and it obviously meant a lot to me."
In the eighth inning, Correa blasted a home run to right field - his career-high 26th of the year - and pointed to his teammates in the dugout as he headed to first base, as he regularly does. When he got back to the dugout, there were even more hugs than usual for the star shortstop.
"I knew it was my last at-bat of the year right there and I was trying to make something cool happen," Correa said. "Thank God I got that homer. It was special running the bases, I’ll tell you that."
Astros manager Dusty Baker sent Correa back onto the field with his teammates for the top of the ninth, but then removed him from the game, giving the crowd a chance to give him a standing ovation as he walked off the field. Before exiting, Correa stopped to hug left fielder Yordan Alvarez, and then every infielder on his way to the dugout. He stopped near the first-base line to tip his cap and turn all the way around to salute the fans. He was greeted in the dugout with more hugs from his teammates.
"He’s earned that and deserved that," Baker said after the Astros' 7-6 win. "He and the crowd are one. They grew up with Carlos and Carlos grew up with them. Carlos is a big part of this town and a huge part of this organization."
Correa's wife Daniella, who is pregnant with the couple's first child, posted her reaction on Twitter.
"Just the way that my teammates treat me and the way they take care of me and how much respect they have and the love that they have for me," Correa said. "The ninth inning, what they did right there, was truly special, letting me walk off the field. I’m not a crier, but I felt like crying. Very emotional, man. I want to thank all my teammates and the coaching staff for making that happen, because it truly was special to me."
Before the season, the Astros offered Correa a five-year, $125 million contract, but the 27-year-old said he's looking for a "big, long contract." He had a career year this season, hitting .279 with career-highs in home runs (26) and runs (105), plus 92 RBIs, which is just four shy of his career-best. His 7.2 wins above replacement (WAR) is the best for a position player in all of baseball. Correa also has a good shot at winning his first Gold Glove.
Correa and the Astros open the American League Division Series against the White Sox on Thursday at Minute Maid Park.
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