HOUSTON --Carlos Correa's three-run double in the first inning Wednesday night served as the icebreaker for an Astros team that had been struggling to score runs, and his acrobatic play in the ninth inning led to some smiles and laughs that had been missing in recent days at Minute Maid Park.
Playing on the second base of the infield in a shift with left-handed hitter Tony Wolters at the plate, Correa was forced to reach behind his back to knock down a grounder with his glove before recovering in time to throw out Wolters at first.
Correa had a huge smile on his face as he high-fived second baseman Yuli Gurriel after the play, which helped the Astros close out a 12-1 win over the Rockies.
"When a lefty hits it to my glove side, 99 percent of the time it's topspin," Correa said. "I moved that way on my first step because I worked super hard in Spring Training to try to get it right. Then the ball just knuckled the other way and the only chance I had was to throw my glove out there, and I was able to make the play."
Correa's three-run double in the first inning was his first extra-base hit since coming off the disabled list last week. He missed six weeks with a sore lower back.

"He started the night with the huge icebreaker to get the three runs and finishes the night with a crazy good defensive play," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "Really good night all the way around."