Correa: Astros motivated by winning, not proving people wrong

The Houston Astros advanced to their fourth consecutive American League Championship Series on Thursday following an offseason tainted by a sign-stealing scandal.

Carlos Correa played a big role for Houston in the ALDS, going 7-for-14 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in four games against the Oakland Athletics.

Houston's star shortstop, who called out critics before the ALDS, said the team's motivation has nothing to do with proving people wrong.

"Absolutely not," he said when asked if the Astros are driven by their doubters, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. "We're motivated because we want to win. We want to be able to bring another championship to the city of Houston."

The Astros limped into the playoffs this year with a regular-season record below .500 after dominating the American League with three consecutive 100-plus-win campaigns from 2017 to 2019.

Without ace Justin Verlander and closer Roberto Osuna, the Astros first swept the favored Minnesota Twins in the wild-card series before ousting the division-winning A's in four games. Oakland won seven of 10 against Houston during the regular season.

Though Correa said the team isn't driven by proving the critics wrong, Astros manager Dusty Baker believes the adversity helps Houston persevere through difficult times.

"They closed the circle and got into each other," Baker said of how the Astros handled the criticism. "It made them closer."