Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Keynan Middleton reacts after striking out Minnesota Twins' Carlos Correa to end a baseball game on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, in Chicago. The White Sox won 6-4. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (Charles Rex Arbogast, AP)
The Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal is a thing of the past for most. Their 2022 World Series victory put a lot of noise to rest for their 2017 trash-can banging scheme.
However, there still appears to be hatred left over, and no, it’s not just the fans who still chant “f—k [Jose] Altuve!” every so often at Yankee Stadium.
Chicago White Sox reliever Keynan Middleton loved every second of blowing a 96-mph fastball by Carlos Correa on Wednesday night to close out their 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins.
“I knew I was going to face Correa, and I don’t like him. So it was kind of cool,” Middelton said. “I like that. I enjoyed that a lot. I mean, he’s a cheater.”
Correa was one of the core players of the 2017 Astros who were disciplined by Major League Baseball for their sign-stealing scheme of decoding signs and indicating what was coming by banging a trash can so the batter could hear. The organization was fined $5 million and docked several top draft picks. Although no players were singled out for punishment, the cheater label has hung over several members of the championship squad.
“I’ve heard worse,” Correa told reporters before Thursday’s game. “I’m just glad he’s doing good and he’s playing good and he can take care of his family. Obviously, he’s tough. He’s getting better and that’s why he’s pitching high-leverage situations for them.”
Middleton got a close-up view of the scheme as he made nine appearances against Houston in 2017 as a rookie reliever for the Los Angeles Angels.
The right-hander, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Angels in the AL West, owned a 1.13 ERA against the eventual World Series champions.
Correa has gotten off to a slow start this season slashing .203/.287/.363 with three homers and 12 RBI this season.
The two-time All-Star saw two big-money contracts fall through during the offseason — 13-years, $350 million with the Giants, 12-years, $315 million with the Mets — over concerns about his long-term health. He eventually returned to the Twins on a six-year, $200 million contract.
The 28-year-old’s ankle scared teams away from committing to long-term agreements despite having never missed an MLB game due to an ankle injury.
Since he left the Astros — with the exception of the 27 games this season — the shortstop has still been effective and considered one of the best in the game. Correa has slashed .277/.353/.450 during his career as a Twin after he slashed .277/.356/.481 during his seven seasons with the Astros.
Houston’s success — four World Series appearances in six seasons — has proven to most that the Astros didn’t need trash cans to win games.
But for players like Middleton, it is always a motivating factor.
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Originally published at Tribune News Service