Puerto Rico has sent many prominent baseball players to the world series and this year is no exception. The National League champion Houston Astros boasts Ponce-born Carlos Correa on the team.
Correa, 24, won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2015. Since that time, his accomplishments have quickly grown. He is widely recognized as a star player in professional baseball.
Correa was named a Major League Baseball All-Star and won the 2017 World Series with the Astros. His life in baseball began much earlier, though, since he joined his first league when he was 5 years old. His father helped him train every day.
With strong support from his family and his community, Correa was able to attend tournaments that allowed him to show off his skill. He was the top pick of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. This led to a meeting with Ivan (“Pudge”) Rodriguez, who later became a member of the Puerto Rico Statehood Council. When he returned to his home, Correa was greeted with a triumphal homecoming parade.
He joined the Astros in 2015 and was the youngest player ever to hit a home run on opening day in 2016. Correa lives in Houston. He supported both Houston and Puerto Rico after the 2017 hurricanes.
Puerto Rico’s history with baseball
Baseball is an important part of the Island’s culture. It is the most popular sport in Puerto Rico, and the first two baseball clubs on the Island were organized in 1897, when Puerto Rico was still a colony of Spain.
Puerto Rico has supplied many Major League players to baseball teams in the States. Roberto Clemente and Iván (“Pudge”) Rodríguez Torres are among the most famous.
Correa and the Astros now face the Washington Nationals in the World Series. Washington won the first game last night by a score of 5-4. The two teams face off again tonight.
