As if Friday’s Game 1 loss to the Astros wasn’t enough, New England fans then were forced to listen to Houston manager Dusty Baker compare his two stars — Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve — to two other athletes that many Boston Red Sox fans probably don’t want to be reminded of.
“Those guys have been together for a long time. They know each other. It’s kind of like Tom Brady and (Rob) Gronkowski,” Baker said after the game in reference to Correa and Altuve, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage.
“They know how they think. They know probably what they eat for dinner, what they like and what the kids like,” Baker continued. “It’s a special relationship that will last forever because when they get through playing, they’ll be coming back to many teams that won in (2017) or teams that won here and teams that won there and they’re a big part of it.”
Baker’s compliments came after Altuve and Correa each hit crucial home runs as the Astros claimed a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox.
Altuve’s two-run shot came off right-hander Tanner Houck in the sixth inning to tie the game 3-all. Correa then gave Houston a 4-3 lead with a solo blast off Boston’s hard-throwing hurler Hansel Robles in the seventh. Red Sox manager Alex Cora noted how those two pitches were the most costly mistakes Boston made on the mound.
“I don’t know if they’re trying to one-up each other, but they’re trying to do the best they can every time out there,” Baker said.
The Astros will host the Red Sox for Game 2 of the best-of-seven series on Saturday with Nathan Eovaldi getting the ball for Boston. First pitch is scheduled for 4:20 p.m. ET, and you can watch pregame coverage on NESN starting at 3 p.m.
