Correa powers Astros past A’s
LOS ANGELES » Carlos Correa hit a go-ahead, three-run homer after Michael Brantley’s tworun shot in the fourth inning, helping the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 11- 6 on Thursday to clinch their home-run heavy AL Division Series in four games.
Correa drove in five as the Astros — October villains to many a year after their signstealing scandal was exposed — advanced to the AL Championship Series for the fourth consecutive season.
It will be their first ALCS under Dusty Baker, their 71-year-old manager. Baker earned his first closeout win since the 2003 NL Division Series and improved to 4-13 in closeouts.
“It’s been a long, tough road, but we’re halfway there,” Baker said. “I’m thankful and happy, but I still got some happiness left to give.”
Houston will play either the New York Yankees or Tampa Bay Rays in the best-of-seven ALCS in San Diego. The Rays lead their ALDS 2-1.
The Astros and A’s combined for 24 homers — 12 each — the most in a postseason series of five games or fewer.
Houston clinched at Dodger Stadium, where it won the 2017 World Series in seven games. The Astros’ sign-stealing scheme used during their title run was revealed last year by former teammate and current A’s pitcher Mike Fiers, who didn’t pitch in this series.
The scandal led to season-long suspensions of Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, who both were fired. Boston manager Alex Cora and Mets manager Carlos Beltrán also lost their jobs as fallout their roles with the ’17 Astros, and Houston still draws ire of other players and fans.
Correa said outside opinions did nothing to motivate the team.
“We’re motivated because we want to win and we want to bring another championship to the city of Houston,” he said. “We know what it feels like and we want to have that feeling again.”
Braves sweep Marlins
HOUSTON » Not since the days of John Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine had the Atlanta Braves pitched like this in the playoffs.
And even those future Hall of Famers didn’t throw the way these Braves have this postseason.
“What those guys did on the mound is almost mind-blowing,” manager Brian Snitker said.
Rookie Kyle Wright dazzled for six innings in his postseason debut, and the Braves rode their superb pitching to beat the Miami Marlins 7-0 Thursday for a three-game sweep and their first trip to the NL Championship Series since 2001.
Wright (1-0) was sharp despite not pitching since Sept. 25, allowing three hits and walking two with a career-high seven strikeouts. A. J. Minter, Jacob Webb and Shane Greene finished the five-hitter.
Atlanta became the second team in history to throw four shutouts in the first five playoff games, joining the 1905 New York Giants behind Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson and Joe McGinnity.
After two rounds the Braves have already pitched the most postseason shutouts in franchise history, besting the 1996 and 1991 teams that threw three each as both lost in the World Series.
They are one shutout shy of tying the MLB record for most in a postseason set by the 2016 Indians over 15 games.
“It’s pretty cool to have that many shutouts, and it points to how good we’ve been as a staff,” the 25-year-old Wright said, perhaps not fully grasping the team’s place in history.
Atlanta had lost eight straight Division Series, including in each of the previous two seasons, before outscoring the Marlins 18-5, including 11-0 in the final two games. The Braves are 5-0 with a 0.92 ERA in the postseason, allowing five runs in 49 innings after ranking 15th in the majors in the regular season with a 4.41 ERA.
The staff has fanned 59 batters and walked nine with just 30 hits in the postseason.
“It’s been fun,” catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “They’ve just been executing.”
There were only a few scattered cheers as the Braves wrapped up the series in an almost empty Minute Maid Park, where the only fans allowed were players’ friends and families.
They will play the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego in the NLCS starting Monday in Arlington, Texas.