Middleton loved whiffing 'cheater' Correa for save

CHICAGO — It has been more than three years since Major League Baseball issued its report on an electronic sign-stealing scheme by the Houston Astros.

Keynan Middleton definitely remembers.

The reliever struck out Carlos Correa on a 96.2 mph fastball on Wednesday night, closing out a 6-4 victory for the Chicago White Sox against the Minnesota Twins.

Following his first save since 2021, Middleton talked about how much he relished that last swing by Correa, who played for the Astros at the time of the scandal.

“I knew I was going to face Correa, and I don’t like him. So it was kind of cool,” he said. “I like that. I enjoyed that a lot. … I mean, he’s a cheater.”

Middleton played in the AL West for his first five years in the majors, competing against Correa and the Astros.

Houston was disciplined by Major League Baseball after it found the team used electronics to steal signs during its run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season.

MLB’s investigation determined Houston used a video feed from a center-field camera to see and decode the opposing catcher’s signs during home games. Players banged on a trash can to signal to batters what was coming, believing it would improve the their odds of getting a hit.

Then-manager A.J. Hinch was suspended and fired in the fallout, but no players were punished after Commissioner Rob Manfred granted them immunity as part of the league’s investigation.

The right-handed Middleton is off to a solid start in his first season with Chicago, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings in a 3-2 victory against the Twins on Tuesday night.

“He wants to pitch every single day,” Chicago manager Pedro Grifol said. “We’re the ones that have to tell him you’re down today. He loves the moment.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.