On this day 32 years ago, a hobbled Kirk Gibson hit one of the most iconic home runs in MLB postseason history. Gibson’s blast off Dennis Eckersley was one for the ages, but let’s not downplay Carlos Correa’s heroics Thursday at Petco Park. Stepping to the dish with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Astros shortstop broke a 3-3 tie with one mighty swing, clobbering Nick Anderson’s 1-1 offering into the center-field seats. The walk-off gave Correa his sixth home run of the playoffs, one more than he hit during the entire regular season (58 games).
The Astros are creeping up on the Rays, now trailing their best-of-seven American League Championship series three games to two. Thursday’s 4-3 triumph in San Diego leaves Houston needing just two more wins to secure its second straight AL pennant and third in four years. If the Astros somehow pull it off, they’ll be only the second team in MLB history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, a feat the Red Sox accomplished during the 2004 ALCS. The Astros would also become the first team to advance to the World Series after finishing the regular season with a record under .500 (29-31).
After Ji-Man Choi tied the score with an eighth-inning solo shot to deep right (one of three Rays homers on the afternoon), Tampa threatened again in the ninth, putting the go-ahead run (Kevin Kiermaier) on second before Austin Meadows flew out to end the frame. After seeing two breaking pitches to start his at-bat, Correa pounced on a 96-mph fastball from Anderson, lifting it out of the park for the second walk-off homer of his playoff career (his first came off J.A. Happ in Game 2 of last year’s ALCS against the Yankees). The 26-year-old had been having a pedestrian series up to that point with just two hits in his previous 17 at-bats.
The Astros and Rays will meet again Friday in Game 6 with first pitch scheduled for 6:07 PM ET. Neither team has announced its starter, though in all likelihood, it will be a repeat of Game 1’s matchup between Rays Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Astros lefty Framber Valdez.
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