“You never want to get swept, especially at home" - Houston Astros coach Dusty Baker commends Jeremy Pena for hitting game-winning homer

The Houston Astros were saved from a series sweep by the bat of rising star Jeremy Pena. Jeremy Pena was brought in to fill the rather large shoes left by Carlos Correa, who signed with the Minnesota Twins in the offseason. It would be an understatement to say that Jeremy Pena has merely filled the role left by the three-time All-Star, especially after his game-winning homer against the Toronto Blue Jays.

In just his first season in the MLB, Jeremy Pena is proving to be a big-time player who can come up clutch when his team needs him. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Jeremy Pena absolutely crushed a pitch from Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano to end the game and win it 9-8 for the Houston Astros.

Dusty Baker, manager of the team, was very happy with his young shortstop, in comments shared on Twitter by Mark Berman.

".@DustyBaker70 on Jeremy Peña (@Jpena221) walk-off homer: “That was big. That was a big home run by La Tormenta (The storm). We needed that one badly, get off the losing streak and have a happy flight on the way to Texas.” - @ Mark Berman

Dusty Baker and the Houston Astros know exactly what they have in their young shortstop, and La Tormenta has to be in the top five nicknames in the MLB.

Jeremy Pena raises the ceiling of the Houston Astros

Astros celebrate the win in extra innings.

As if the Houston Astros haven't been good enough these past five years with a World Series win and multiple deep playoff runs, they seemingly have an unending group of prospects to draw on who can be superstars. Jeremy Pena is undoubtedly in the conversation for Rookie of the Year in the American League, and at this point is likely the frontrunner.

While many expected the loss of Carlos Correa to really hurt their chances for yet another playoff run, that appears not to be the case. With Jeremy Pena off to a significantly better start than the player he replaced in 2022, he could become a cornerstone of the franchise much like Carlos Correa was for years.

A beautiful video of the game-winning walk-off homer was shared below by Ben Verlander on Twitter.

"What a video. What a game. Jeremy Peña is a stud and this video is a must watch. So awesome for him" - @ Ben Verlander

The Houston Astros are either tremendous talent scouts or incredibly lucky, and given their track record, it is likely the former as their sustained success remains enviable for teams across the league.