CHICAGO — Carlos Correa was impressed by Keynan Middleton's pitches. His name-calling, not so much.
"I've heard worse," Correa shrugged Thursday when asked about Middleton calling him a cheater after the White Sox reliever struck him out to end Chicago's 6-4 victory over the Twins on Wednesday.
And it's true: Correa hears loud boos during nearly every road game he plays, so it's not like the Twins' shortstop ever forgets that he was part of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal a half-dozen years ago.
As Middleton made clear, Correa isn't the only one who hasn't forgotten.
Middleton told reporters after picking up his first save of the season that he took particular satisfaction out of whiffing Correa.
"I knew I was going to face Correa, and I don't like him. So it was kind of cool," Middleton said in the White Sox clubhouse. "I enjoyed that a lot. … I mean, he's a cheater."
Correa, who has admitted he benefited from the Astros' system of banging on trash cans to relay what pitch was coming, information that teammates were getting from catchers' signals via a live TV feed, didn't flinch when he was asked before Thursday's game about Middleton's opinion. In fact, he praised the pitcher, against whom he is 2-for-4 with two doubles in his career.
"I'm just glad he's doing good and he's playing good and he can take care of his family," Correa said of the former Angels and Mariners righthander. "Obviously, he's tough. He's getting better and that's why he's pitching high-leverage situations for them. I'm just glad he's up here again, performing and providing for his family."
