SAN DIEGO — They know you hate them.

They know the baseball world will never forgive them.

But these Houston Astros refuse to go away.

Carlos Correa’s walk-off homer lifted the Astros to a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays to force a Game 6 in the American League Championship Series.

“I don’t want to go home yet,’’ Correa said. “So we had to do something about it.’’

Correa’s homer off Nick Anderson was his sixth of the 2020 postseason and 17th in 61 career postseason games.

The Astros are only the fourth team in baseball history to force a Game 6 after trailing 3-0, joining the 2004 Boston Red Sox, 1999 New York Mets and 1998 Atlanta Braves.

The Red Sox, of course, are the only team to overcome such a deficit.

“I know what the numbers look like,’’ Astros right fielder Josh Reddick said, “but there’s always that chance. Look at what the Red Sox did. To quote the great Kevin Garnett: ‘Anything is possible.’ “

George Springer led off the game for the Astros by hammering the first pitch for a solo home run, his 19th career postseason home run, now tied with Albert Pujols for fourth all time.

Springer rounded third base and pointed to the suite where third base coach Gary Pettis stood cheering. This was the first game Pettis has seen in person since undergoing treatments for multiple myeloma.

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“I’m hoping to bring them a little luck,’’ Pettis said before the game.

The Astros now have their pitching lined up for Game 6 and possibly Game 7 with Framber Valdez and Lance McCullers Jr, giving them a chance.

“We believe,’’ said Astros manager Dusty Baker, who bear-hugged Correa after the home run. “We believe.’’

The Astros used seven pitchers – five of them rookies – in the win.

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