Correa, Osuna put run-in behind them
TORONTO — Carlos Correa and Roberto Osuna cooled down the heat that simmered after Thursday night’s 7-4 Blue Jays win over the Astros.
Correa had called out Osuna for showing him up on the final out and said the next time they match up, Osuna “better not give up a homer.”
Osuna, Toronto’s closer, had induced a soft grounder to the mound from Correa. Correa did not run the ball out, first baseman Justin Smoak slowed on his way to cover the bag and Osuna took six short steps toward first before throwing out Correa.
Osuna had completed his third consecutive save in as many nights and 22nd of the season.
On Friday, Correa reiterated his criticism of how Osuna handled the play but downplayed the significance.
“I wasn’t mad or anything,” Correa said. “It was a play where he got the ball, stared at me, walked and I stopped running. That’s when he threw the ball.
“The way I see it is that. That’s the way he plays the game and the way he goes about his business. No big deal.”
Given chances to readdress the matter on Friday, both players said there is no animosity.
“I don’t know why he thought I showed him up because I was going to flip the ball to first base, but (Smoak) wasn’t there yet,” Osuna said. “He gave me a little bit of time because he didn’t run hard to first base. If I did something wrong I apologize because that wasn’t my intention.”
Correa said he did not notice Smoak or rewatch footage of the final out.
He explained that he did not run out the ground ball because that would risk injury for the sake of “fake hustle” — a faux pas, perhaps, more unseemly than how Osuna fielded the ball.
“I knew it was the last out of the game,” Correa said. “So I wanted to go home.
“We talk about it here: there’s no need for fake hustle. You hit a ground ball to the pitcher (and) try to run hard to first in the 80th-something game of the season and blow a hamstring on the last play of the game. There’s no need for fake hustle. If I hit a ground ball to short, I’m going to run hard.
“(If ) I’m going to hit a ground ball to the pitcher, and he caught it, and I’m not even out of the box yet, why would I need to run to first? It’s just fake hustle.”
Osuna was named a replacement for the AL All-Star team on Friday, which means that he and Correa will be teammates for the game on Tuesday night in Miami.
Both players said they did not have a problem teaming up next week.
“Congrats to him,” Correa said of Osuna’s AllStar selection. “He’s an unbelievable pitcher and a great baseball player.”
Correa remarked that he is especially impressed since Osuna is younger than him. They are both 22 years old. Correa is older by less than six months.
“Obviously if I see him, I’m going to say hi to him,” Correa said. “I don’t hate him or anything. You’re a competitor and you always want to beat your opponent and he beat me last night.”
Odds and ends
Brad Peacock will start Sunday in the final game before the All-Star Game break. … Collin McHugh will pitch a rehab start Monday for Class AA Corpus Christi. … Dallas Keuchel rested on Friday, according to manager A.J. Hinch.