Correa knocks first homer, has first SB
CHICAGO -- You can't say Astros shortstop Carlos Correa has looked overmatched in his first two Major League games.
Correa, who made his Major League debut on Monday, stepped to the plate in the ninth inning Tuesday and blasted a long two-run home run to left field -- the first of his career -- to help the Astros avoid being shut out in a 4-2 loss to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.
"It's always good to get the first one out of the way," said Correa, who went 2-for-4. "I wish we could have won the game. We battled back and tried to come back in the game. We gave a lot of effort that last inning. It felt great. I wish we could have won the game."
Correa's homer off veteran White Sox lefty Zach Duke was projected by Statcast™ to land 398.29 feet away with an exit velocity of 106.88 mph.
Video: HOU@CWS: Correa talks about his first ML home run
"It was a changeup," Correa said. "We were scoreless coming to the ninth, and to be able to hit the home run, you know, that kept the thing going and we got another hit and battled through it. We played hard to the last inning, and we gave our best. Tomorrow's a new day, and we're going to do our best to get a win."
Correa, who lined out hard to third base in the fourth inning with runners at first and third, then singled and stole his first base in the sixth, was able to retrieve the ball from a fan in exchange for a signed bat. He gave the ball to his parents, who are attending the games in Chicago from their native Puerto Rico.
"He's going to contribute, he's very comfortable, and I'm happy for him," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "Obviously, I wish it would have come in a win; I thought the lineout to third was a little unlucky for him -- he hit it right toward the third baseman, otherwise it would have gotten us a run early. But he's coming in as advertised and shown real poise and a real presence."
Video: HOU@CWS: Beckham dives to snag a sharp line drive
The 20-year-old Correa has already impressed White Sox manager Robin Ventura.
"Good luck to everybody. He's very impressive," Ventura said. "Even watching him on the field, you see a kid that usually you will see some jitters or something. He's not rushed. Anybody that thinks he's rushed, he's not rushed to be up here. He's a Major League player, and he's going to give people fits for a long time."
In two games, Correa -- the top overall pick in the 2012 Draft -- is 3-for-8 and hasn't looked overwhelmed or intimidated.
"I feel good," he said. "We've been working on the approach and watching a lot of film on guys and just try to stick with the approach. We're going to do the same thing tomorrow, and try to help the team win a game."