Not all life experiences can be explained by reason, especially saves from near-death ones. Prayers work in mysterious ways, and Carlos Correa believes his faith saved him from drowning in the murky depths of the Minnetonka Lake.

Two weeks before his trade to the Houston Astros, Correa almost lost his life in a near-drowning incident while on a swim with his three-year-old son, Kylo. Cramping in his quads and hamstrings, he suddenly couldn’t tread water in the Minnetonka Lake. As a last resort, Correa told MLB.com, he turned to God to save him and his son that fateful day.

“Lord, save me. I promise you that if you save me from this one, I will serve you and I will serve you forever,” prayed the Houston Astros player.

Correa was halfway between the shore and the boat in the lake without a life jacket when he started cramping up. His son, fortunately wearing a life jacket, was on his shoulder during the incident. With his stamina diminishing, Correa spotted a buoy a few feet away and clung to it for life to stay above water.

When his young son had asked whether they would make it back safely, Correa had reassured him before praying for divine help.

Help finally arrived for Correa and his son when his father-in-law heard him calling for help with his last bit of energy. Correa’s father-in-law immediately swam to them with a life jacket that he was able to grab with his pinkie finger, still clinging to the buoy.

This one incident made Correa an even stronger devotee. He kept his promise of serving God by attending regular English sermons and even opting to preach the Bible himself.

Sharing his moment of epiphany with MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Correa stated, “I was like, ‘From that moment on, I’m going to serve you.’ I am going to keep my promise. And from that moment, I’ve been fully devoted.”

Last offseason, he started organizing a Bible study at his house in Houston every Saturday. The group of attendees grew from eight to 60, including friends, family, and teammates who joined to eat and congregate. He called it the ‘Correa House Church.’

This was not the first time Correa related the near-tragic incident to an audience. He told the story for the first time to a group of senior citizens in a retirement home in December.

With his faith strengthened, Correa revisited the incident with an insight: ‘Some storms don’t come in your life to drown you.’

Correa had originally signed a 6-year, $200 million contract with the Minnesota Twins in 2023. He later re-negotiated and waived the full no-trade clause to return to the Astros at the 2025 trade deadline. The Twins will be paying $33 million of the remaining $103.4 million, while Houston will bear about $71 million over the remaining 3.5 years of Correa’s contract.

Belief runs strong in the Correa family

Correa turning to God in his moment of hardship is not sudden. He was already religious, coming from a family with strong faith.

His parents, Carlos Correa Sr. and Sandybel Oppenheimer, had been long-time members of the Spanish congregation at Champions Forest Baptist Church in Houston. Correa, too, had joined his parents with his wife and children at the Church during holidays.

Correa had a humble upbringing in a fishing village at Santa Isabel in Puerto Rico. He had his parents’ support in pursuing baseball as a career, with his father going as far as working three jobs.

Correa eventually became the 1 pick overall in the 2012 MLB first-year player draft by the Houston Astros. He was with the Astros till 2021 before returning in 2025. Correa also met his wife during his time with the Astros.

He had proposed to Daniella mid-interview in 2017 when the Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to clinch their first World Series title. He got married to Daniella Rodriguez in November 2019. The couple shares two sons, Kylo and Kenzo.