Twins’ Correa ready to take on Astros in ALDS: ‘We can be friends after’

After starring for the Houston Astros for the initial seven seasons of his career, Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa is preparing to take on his former club for the first time in a postseason series.

Correa won Rookie of the Year in 2015 and helped the Astros win the World Series in 2017. He remains close with a number of his former teammates – but he’s putting that on hold for the ALDS, which begins Saturday afternoon.

“We can be friends after the series,” Correa said on Friday, according to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome. He added that he hasn’t spoken to any of his former teammates since the matchup between the two clubs was set.

Correa earned a reputation as one of baseball’s great clutch hitters during his time in Houston. The 29-year-old hit 18 home runs with 60 RBIs across 79 postseason games as a member of the Astros.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve remains close with Correa but is putting that aside as the team looks to defend its World Series crown.

“We just gotta go out there and beat him, even though we like him a lot,” Altuve said, according to KPRC’s Ari Alexander.

After struggling through an injury-riddled regular season, Correa emerged as one of Minnesota’s best players against the Blue Jays. He had three hits in two outings and made one of the best defensive plays of the postseason so far, throwing out Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette at home plate in Game 1.

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