Morton stakes claim as next Astros star

On his Wikipedia site, there is a claim that Astros right-hander Charlie Morton is part of the family that runs the famed steakhouse chain.

“No,” Morton said, shooting down the entry and offering the belief it probably was the work of a former Pirates teammate he described but did not name — but who sounds suspiciously like Jason Grilli.

But forgive those who may have accepted the claim. After all, Morton, who will oppose CC Sabathia and pitch Game 3 — “The biggest game of my career,” he said — is not exactly Dallas Keuchel to the general public. But he should be. Who says so? Dallas Keuchel.

“Chuck’s been one of the most underrated big-league starters this year,” Keuchel said. “With the uptick in velocity and the sharpness he’s had, when he’s healthy, I’ll take him against anybody. The fact we’ve been winning the whole year, it should put him on the map more so than he is.

“When he comes out [Monday] throwing 95, 97 [mph] with sink and a devastating curveball and people are freaking out because he looks so nasty, I’ve seen it all year. I don’t expect any different.”

Morton is thrilled to be pitching in The Bronx against the team he grew up in Connecticut idolizing. He has faced the Yankees once before — this season — and beat them, fanning 10 as part of his 14-7 campaign during which he also compiled a 3.62 ERA.

“It will be in a place that I grew up coming as a kid to, the old Yankee Stadium,” Morton said. “So it’ll be special in that way.”

Morton was asked for his best memories as a Yankees fan. There was one involving Derek Jeter in a restaurant — not a steakhouse by the way — but there was another featuring the future Yankees manager.

“We went to the stadium in Tampa during spring training, and it was raining,” Morton said. “There was nobody out in the field except for one guy, who was running. There’s a walkway that goes from leftfield corner underneath the bridge into the stadium and it was Joe Girardi. And we ran out there and it was raining, and I’m assuming he was trying to get back in. I remember him signing for my sister and I.”