Marcus Semien Breaks Single-Season Plate Appearance Record Amid Texas Rangers Victory
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien put an exclamation point on his team's World Series-clinching victory Wednesday night, right after he made some rare history at the dish.
Semien crushed a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to bury the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0. It was the cherry on top for both Semien and the Rangers, who emerged victorious in Game 5 to notch their first championship in franchise history.
The two-time All-Star finished the night 2-for-5, wrapping up the postseason with a .224 batting average and .635 OPS. Semien didn't miss a single game throughout the playoffs, which is nothing new for the infielder.
Semien missed just one game over the course of the last four full regular seasons, once again playing all 162 contests in 2023. By following that up with 17 more outings in October, Semien gave himself just enough time to set a new all-time record.
In the regular season and postseason combined, Semien racked up 835 plate appearances. That is the most in a single season in MLB history, passing Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra's 833 from the 1993 campaign.
Florida Marlins outfielder Juan Pierre ranks third with 830 circa 2003, while Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose recorded 811 in 1975. New York Yankees second baseman Alfonso Soriano posted 809 in 2003.
Semien converted all those plate appearances into 202 hits, 42 doubles, five triples, 32 home runs and 78 walks, plus a championship ring on top of it all.
The Rangers' Iron Man may not have won World Series MVP, but he was the one player who was on the field and at the plate every single game from March 30 to Nov. 1.
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