Carlos Correa Goes Reggie Jackson, Makes CC Sabathia’s “Clown” Insult Look Petty and Bitter as the Astros’ Modern Dynasty Rolls On

Ex-Yankee CC Sabathia called him “a clown.” But Carlos Correa is also one of the best players in baseball, the postseason’s version of an epic gamer. When the pressure is at its highest, when the spotlights is at its brightest, Correa does things that few others in baseball have ever done.

The latest? Driving in five runs in an 11-6 Houston Astros win in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. With that Correa and the Astros, finally shut up the yappy Oakland A’s for good.

Sabathia might hate Correa and Houston’s dynastic baseball run, having gone off on them in a national podcast with the fury (and language) of a young Howard Stern. But another old, bombastic New York Yankee — Reggie Jackson — would love him.

For Correa is the closest thing to the entertaining Jackson in the game today. When Correa raises his hand to his ear as he rounds third base on a home run, he brings back visions of great playoff showmen past.

Major League Baseball is much more corporate these days. Players largely take pains to be more cautious and safe with what they say in these new coronavirus era Zoom interviews than ever. But there is still no hiding Correa’s exuberance, showmanship or grand love of the game. It’s the passion that helps drive these suddenly rolling, rollicking, can’t stop, won’t stop Astros.

“We want to win,” Correa says after a 3 for 4, five RBI show it what turns into A’s elimination day. “We want a chance to bring a championship back to Houston. We know what it feels like.”

In fact, the Astros are the only team left in these playoffs with a core group of players who’ve ever won a championship. Neither the LA Dodgers, the Yankees, the Atlanta Braves or the Tampa Bay Rays can say that. Which may make Dusty Baker’s team just about the most dangerous opponent you can get in October.

These sixth-seed Astros are now 5-1 in the playoffs, having rolled through the No. 3 Minnesota Twins and the No. 2 Oakland A’s. If you’re a Houston sports fan with any sense of history this Astros run cannot help but bring back visions of those “Never underestimate the heart of a champion” 1994-95 Houston Rockets of Rudy Tomjanovich.

Often leaning on the Core Astros of those 2017 and 2019 World Series runs (Correa, George Springer, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Josh Reddick), the Astros absolutely demolished the A’s in the home run wonderland of hot day Dodgers Stadium. The Astros put up 10, 5, 7 and 11 runs in the four games of this series, never giving Oakland a chance to catch its breath.

“They said they wanted us,” Astros manager Dusty Baker memorably said of the A’s pre-series taunts. “. . . So you just have to be careful what you ask for.”

An Astros Hater’s Hell

This is an absolute nightmare for all of the Astros haters — and there are entire social media armies of them, eager to dismiss a proud, championship proven baseball team as cheaters at every opportunity. That electronic sign stealing scandal follows the Astros anywhere. But so does winning.

And so do clubhouse celebrations. For the second time in four years, the Astros enjoyed a heck of one in the visitors clubhouse at Dodgers Stadium. (Sorry Dodgers fans, they’re not sorry for that.)

“It’s very special,” says veteran outfielder Michael Brantley, the guy the Astros call Uncle Mike. “We did a great job. It’s a great clubhouse in there right now. Everyone is excited.”

All the haters have inadvertently made these 2020 Astros closer and more together than ever. When you’re made to feel like the entire sports world’s against you, you tend to lean on the guys battling and scraping alongside you even more.

“We’re a close team,” Kyle Tucker, the real MVP of the Astros’ just enough regular season, says after his own 3-for-5 Game 4. “We do everything together. Especially in the playoffs here, we want to win and move on. We always try to play hard for one another.”

That closeness could be seen after the clinching game in Dodgers Stadium when starter pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., another Core Astro, left the clubhouse celebration to go out onto the field and make the Astros taxi squad players — who were working out postgame like usual — feel like a part of things. McCullers individually thanked every member of the Astros taxi squad as reserve pitcher Brandon Bailey detailed.

Sorry Astros haters, that’s class. That’s the move of a team that roots for each other. It turns out these are the kind of things a modern day MLB dynasty does. After having now made the American League Championship Series four straight years in a time of unprecedented baseball parity, these Astros certainly qualify for the designation.

New general manager. New manager. More new young pitchers than anyone but Pitching Yoda Brent Strom could ever handle. And yet, the Astros are back, set to play the winner of Yankees-Rays in San Diego for the chance to make their third World Series in four seasons.

With baseball’s new master showman and bringer of joy, leading the way. Put your hand to your ear — and just listen to these Astros roar.