Fastball

Texas Rangers' Slugger Makes Personal History with Huge Homer on Wednesday

Playing against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday, Texas Rangers' star Marcus Semien made some personal history: Recording the hardest batted ball of his career (in the Statcast Era). It went for a home run at 112.1 MPH.

Brady Farkas

Apr 26, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien (2) celebrates
Apr 26, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien (2) celebrates / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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Playing in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon in Oakland, Texas Rangers' star Marcus Semien made some personal history by recording the hardest hit ball of his career (in the Statcast Era).

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

MARCUS SEMIEN

112.1 MPH HR

that’s his hardest-hit batted ball under Statcast (2015)

only other at 110.0+ mph: a 110.1 mph 1B on 6/17/22

Semien's career began in 2013 so nearly all of his career has been played in the Statcast Era, so there's certainly a good chance that this is the single hardest hit ball of his career. But either way, it was an impressive blast for the veteran second baseman, who went 3-for-5 in the contest.

The Rangers lost that game, 9-4, but rebounded to win the second game, 12-11. Semien also went 3-for-5 in that contest. Through his first 168 at-bats, Semien is hitting a robust .286 with seven homers and 28 RBI.

In the 12th year of his career with the Chicago White Sox, A's, Toronto Blue Jays and Rangers, Semien is a lifetime .258 hitter with 222 home runs. Alongside Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia, he's one of the anchor spots of the Rangers' lineup and one of the main reasons why Texas was able to win the World Series in 2023.

The Rangers will be off on Thursday before heading to Colorado on Friday to take on the hapless Rockies. In that mountain air, perhaps Semien can set a personal record for furthest home run as well.

First pitch in that one is set for 8:40 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.