A potential American League playoff preview took place over the weekend as the Houston Astros hosted the Toronto Blue Jays. The series did not disappoint as each contest during the 3-game set was decided by just one run. After the Blue Jays took Friday and Saturday's matchups, the Astros roared back with an 8-7 victory on Sunday. Rookie Jeremy Pena blasted a 10th inning walk-off home run which caught the attention of Alex Bregman and Dusty Baker.
JEREMY PEÑA!
The rookie gets the walk-off homer for Houston! ☄️
(via @astros) pic.twitter.com/JgLpUEIVg4
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 24, 2022
Alex Bregman said Pena has impressed since taking over for Carlos Correa.
“He’s very confident, though, and he knows his ability, and he’s very level-headed. He doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low and stays focused. That’s a big swing for our team.”
Pena crushed the home run off of arguably the best closer in baseball right now. Jordan Romano has emerged as the main option in Toronto and had not blown a save all season prior to Sunday. Dusty Baker commented on Pena getting the job done against Romano.
“That guy’s a tough pitcher. It’s the first [save] he had blown. [Peña] got one of the best. He also got his first walk-off hit, walk-off homer. That was great for our team, great for our city, great for the fans that stuck around to see that ballgame. Boy, that will hopefully start us on a winning streak here.”
Jeremy Pena has played well in his rookie campaign. He had extremely big shoes to fill in attempting to replace Correa and he has stepped up so far as the Astros' new shortstop.
The future is bright for Pena in Houston.
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