HOUSTON — What started as overwhelming cheers for Carlos Correa when he was introduced to the Minute Maid Park crowd before the start of the American League Division Series turned progressively into louder boos during Sunday’s Game 2.

Correa, back in the ballpark where he created many of his October heroics, is adding to his legend with his new team.

He’s impacted every Twins postseason game. None more than Sunday. Correa reached base four times, delivered three hits and drove in three runs to help the Twins pull away for a 6-2 victory. Behind Correa’s offense and a masterpiece from starting pitcher Pablo López, the Twins evened the series at one game apiece before the two teams traveled to Minnesota.

Game 3 is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. Tuesday at Target Field.

For much of the season, one of the most frustrating aspects of the Twins offense was their inability to hit lefthanded pitching. They scored five runs and compiled seven hits against Valdez, who went 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in four postseason starts during 2022 with two wins in the World Series.

Correa, batting with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, knocked Valdez out of the game with a two-run single. The rally started with back-to-back singles from Michael A. Taylor and Donovan Solano. Jorge Polanco, after pulling a ball foul past the right field line, laid down a sacrifice bunt to move runners to second and third base with a three-run lead.

Royce Lewis drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases. Correa successfully checked his swing on the first pitch, a high sinker, before home-plate umpire D.J. Reyburn paused the action to confer with the six-man umpiring crew. As the umpires chatted, Correa walked to the Twins dugout and had a conversation with hitting coach David Popkins.

Correa fouled the second pitch of his at-bat, a low sinker, before lifting an even lower sinker into center. Taylor and Solano scored easily. Lewis, despite his balky hamstring, motored into third base. Correa punched the air with his right arm, staring at his teammates in the dugout from first base, before tapping his chest and shouting.

Correa high-fived Twins first-base coach Hank Conger and the bat boy who picked up his equipment as Astros manager Dusty Baker walked to the mound to remove Valdez. The sellout crowd he electrified for so many postseasons fell silent.

It was the first postseason road win for the Twins since Oct. 5, 2004 at the old Yankee Stadium, snapping a nine-game road losing streak in the playoffs. Correa’s hit ended an 18-game postseason streak in which the Twins scored four or fewer runs.

The Twins misfired on some chances to add onto their lead. After the Astros replaced Valdez with righthander Phil Maton, Ryan Jeffers unsuccessfully attempted a squeeze bunt that turned into Royce Lewis being tagged out in front of the plate and Kyle Farmer struck out with the bases loaded.

The bases were loaded again in the seventh inning after Lewis singled, Correa doubled and Jeffers was hit by a pitch. Edouard Julien pinch-hit for Farmer with two outs and delivered an RBI single to right field on a two-strike changeup from reliever Rafael Montero, though Correa was thrown out at home attempting to score from second base.

No matter with the way López pitched.

López spun seven scoreless innings against an Astros team that hadn’t lost an ALDS home game since 2017. He joined Johan Santana (2004 ALDS) and Jack Morris (1991 World Series) as the only Twins pitchers to complete seven or more shutout innings in a postseason start.

The Astros put two runners on base in the fourth inning after Kyle Tucker drew a walk and Michael Brantley lifted a two-out, two-strike slider into left field for a single. Pitching coach Pete Maki made a mound visit as the sellout crowd at Minute Maid Park roared to life at López’s first sign of trouble.

López responded by striking out Chas McCormick on three pitches.

He looked unflappable. He let out a yell after striking out McCormick and another yell when he struck out Alex Bregman with a runner on second to end the fifth inning. In the sixth inning, he struck out Yordan Alvarez, the hero of Game 1, in a seven-pitch at-bat that finished with a changeup. López pumped his fist, clapped his hand into his glove, then waited for catcher Ryan Jeffers to make eye contact with him before pointing at him.

One day after the Twins lamented their missed opportunities in the early innings against Justin Verlander, they capitalized on pitches Valdez left elevated in the strike zone. After Polanco drew a seven-pitch walk in the first inning, Correa hit a towering, two-out RBI double off the wall in left-center field. Farmer added a two-run homer in the second inning.

Correa, who moved up to the cleanup spot in the lineup Sunday, has 63 RBI in the postseason, the most by any active player and tied for the third-highest total in MLB history. The two players with more postseason RBI are Bernie Williams (80) and Manny Ramirez (78) and they both played at least 28 more playoff games.

For Correa’s last act, he made a diving stop for the game’s final out.