In his first 21 years Carlos Correa hit 22 big-league home runs, heard his name called first in the MLB draft, and made millions of dollars. But until Tuesday night, he never tasted beer.
“Never drank a beer before,” he recently told Sports Illustrated. “I’ve had wine and champagne, but never a beer. I don’t think that will happen. I don’t know why people look forward to that.”
The Houston Astros rookie wears size-13 C3PO sneakers, lives in a penthouse overlooking his workplace, and watches The Walking Dead. But he does not join the walking dead after last call. SI‘s Ben Reiter writes, “He does not, he says, indulge in any sort of a nightlife, and he does not understand why virtually every day for most of the season at least one person—a member of the media, a fan—pointed out to him that he could not yet legally buy a beer, which was the case until Sept. 22.”
Two weeks removed from his 21st birthday, the Houston Astros shortstop, similar to Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes ending his one-man prohibition after winning an NBA championship in June, indulged. Carrie A. Nation, Neal Dow, and ballplayer Billy Sunday do not approve.
Defeating the New York Yankees in the one-game wild card served as the occasion for the alcohol. The verdict? “It tastes bad.”
Most beers do after going 0-for-4 at the plate. Correa looks to improve his postseason batting average, and hopefully not widen his liquid palate (Meister Brau? Mad Dog 20/20? Hennessey and Coke?) too much when the Astros take on the Kansas City Royals in the next round.