Many Astros were hoping Justin Verlander would keep the Yankees in check so that they could even the ALCS with New York at a game apiece. They got what they wished for, but Carlos Correa was the hero.
Correa hit the dramatic, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning last night, giving the Astros a 3-2 win in Game Two at Minute Maid Park.
The homer put an end to the slump Correa had been experiencing since his return from back problems. He was just 3-for-22 before hitting the game ending shot last night off of former Astros pitcher J.A. Happ.
"Not playing a couple of weeks before the playoffs and then not producing for or my team offensively, obviously it's tough, getting hurt and everything," the All-Star said. "But it's all worth it for moments like this, moments like this where you give your team a chance to win every day, it's worth it, man."
Correa went 2-for-5 on the night, while Verlander held the Yankees to a pair of runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings of work. The win excited a fan base that was down after what happened in Game One on Saturday.
"I am so pumped. I was so down, and with one stroke of the bat, everything changed," one caller told Matt Thomas on sister station Sports Talk 790.
Another caller to the '10th Inning' show said his friend caught the ball.
"Kyle said when he was reaching around for it, a kid knocked it into the bag of merch that purchased earlier," the caller stated.
The series now moves to New York for Game Three tomorrow afternoon. Gerrit Cole, the hero from the ALDS against Tampa Bay, gets the start for the 'Stros.