Astros Crawfish Boil: November 3, 2022

The outlook after game four of the World Series is a much different animal than it was after game three.

For just the second time in history, somebody threw a no-hitter in the World Series. Christian Javier pitched six frames, striking out nine and walking two, followed by an inning each from Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Ryan Pressly. The victory guaranteed the series would return to Houston for at least one game.

Houston got all of their runs in the fifth. Chas McCormick, Jose Altuve, and Jeremy Peña opened the frame with consecutive singles to load the bases. After conferring, Jose Alvarado was called in to relieve starter Aaron Nola. It didn’t do any good. Alvarado hit Yordan Alvarez with a pitch to force in the eventual game winner on his second offering. Alex Bregman followed with a two-run double, and Kyle Tucker drove in Alvarez with a sacrifice fly for a 4-0 lead. Yuli Gurriel put the cherry on top with an RBI-single for the final margin of victory.

Astros News

Some Philadelphia area restaurants have refused the Astros service. This is amongst the dumbest things I’ve seen associated with a visiting baseball team.

Mattress Mack got into it with Phillies fans, defending Altuve’s honor. Mack has also made news with his combined $10 million bet on Houston.

Dusty Baker’s had quite an impact on the Astros that goes far beyond the diamond.

Baseball has a diversity problem. Experts point to this World Series as proof.

Around the MLB

How much news really is fit to print after last night’s glorious contest? Nothing else comes within shouting distance of Houston’s best playoff result of their history.

Oops! All Astros: JC Correa

JC Correa is a six-foot, 200 lb. right-handed catcher from Ponce, PR. Born on September 15, 1998, he was Houston’s 33rd round pick in 2018 out of Alvin Community College. After electing not to sign, Houston again chose him in 2019, with the 38th round choice out of Lamar University with the 1156th overall choice. Six players taken at that point of the draft have made the majors, most notably Jarred Cosart (4.2 WAR).

It’s of particular note at this juncture in time that Cosart was picked 1156th overall by the Phillies in 2008, and made his debut with Houston in 2013. Serendipity? Hard to say, but it likely has only academic value as far as Correa is concerned. Oh, and he’s got a famous brother as well.

Correa made his professional debut with the Low-A Fayetteville Woodpeckers in 2021, splitting the season between them and the High-A Asheville Tourists. He totaled 34 multi-hit games between the two affiliates, hitting .310./368/.464 with nine homers and 57 RBI. On August 1, he had a six-for-six night at the plate for Asheville, with two doubles, two runs, and two RBI in a 14-6 win against the Rome Braves.

The 2022 campaign would see Correa remain with the Tourists for the entire season. Once again he proved his mettle at the plate, registering 34 multiple hit games for the second season in a row. Through 105 contests in total, and 453 plate appearances, he totaled 87 singles, 29 doubles, one triple and eight home runs with 64 RBI. He put up a .309/.364/.446 slash line, drawing 37 walks against 36 strikeouts.

After starting the year going four for his first 38, Correa hit .331 the rest of the way. In a 10-4 win over the Greenville Drive on May 15, he was four-for-four with a double, two runs, and an RBI. On May 28, in a 7-5 win against the WInston-Salem Dash, he hit three singles, scoring once and knocking four runs in. The week of July 11 through 17, he was named the South Atlantic Player of the Week, going 13-for-16 with two homers, six doubles, nine RBI, and seven runs. He didn’t strike out at all, and drew one walk.

Correa’s not a “rated” prospect, but he’s clearly a cut above. He likely won’t be in Houston next year, but clearly by 2024 he should have a shot. Look for him to start next season at the Double-A level with the Corpus Christi Hooks.