Grind Finally Pays off For Texas Rangers Cornerstone Marcus Semien in World Series
PHOENIX — Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien crossed home plate after his third-inning home run in Game 4 of the World Series and accepted congratulations from teammates Jonah Heim and Travis Jankowski.
As he walked back toward the dugout, he looked up into the stands of Chase Field and waved, only for a moment.
It was an uncharacteristic break of character for Semien, who tends to not acknowledge more than what is happening on the field.
But this was the World Series. This was his first home run of this postseason in a game the Rangers would eventually win 11-7 over the Arizona Diamondbacks, and put Texas one victory away from a World Series title.
Marcus Semien drilled a three-run homer and totaled five RBI in Tuesday's 11-7 win in Game 4 of the World Series.
And that was his family that he was waving at.
“Big moment for all my family in the stands, just to see me play in the World Series,” Semien said. “I appreciate them giving me the support my wife, my parents, my children. Those people would be cheering for me if I do well or if I don't. Those are the people who mean everything to me.”
You don’t have to tell Semien he’s been mired in a postseason-long slump. He’s been candid about it. He stands at his locker after nearly every game and fields questions about it. He also talks about the teammates that have picked him up this entire postseason as he struggled to bat .197 in the postseason and .214 in the World Series entering Game 4.
On Tuesday, with the Rangers learning just hours before the game that Adolis García would not play the rest of the World Series due to an oblique injury, Semien picked the perfect time to finally get unlocked.
Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe said Semien was “due.”
“Anytime you can put together a regular season where you’re an MVP contender and you’re not playing to that same standard, you’ve got to be pretty frustrated and disappointed,” Lowe said.
That MVP contender hit .276 and finished with 29 home runs, 100 RBI and 122 runs. He earned a starting All-Star nod and became the first player to lead the American League outright in runs and hits since Alfonso Soriano did it in 2022 with the New York Yankees.
So, yes, this postseason has been less than ideal for Semien.
Yet, Semien adheres to the same routine every day. It’s the routine that allowed him to play all 162 games this season and enabled that MVP caliber season.
It’s what led to his massive Game 4. He went 2-for-5 and drove in five runs. Before Game 4, he had just three RBI in the entire postseason.
“I want to contribute like that,” Semien said. “Baseball's tough, though. You're going to have stretches where you just don't.”
His two-run triple in the second came off Diamondbacks reliever Miguel Castro. Semien pulled an 80-mph slider that was low and outside down the left-field line. The ball hugged the line and rattled past left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. as Leody Taveras and Jankowski scored. Semien scored when Corey Seager homered to make it 5-0.
Semien finally hit his first postseason home run in the next inning, a 383-foot shot off Luis Frías on a 95-mph four-seamer. Located high in the zone, Semien turned on it and it landed just over the left-field wall.
That shot drove in three runs, including Heim and Jankowski.
Heim was the first player to meet him at the plate. He sensed something, but not relief.
“I think he’s been putting together great at-bats and adjustments to some pitches and he put it all together tonight,” Heim said. “I think it was just excitement that he’s helping the team win and that all he cares about.”
Semien drove in a run in Monday’s Game 3. So, perhaps there was carryover? Like his stoic teammate, Seager, Semien appreciates the day-to-day routine of getting ready for the game, even if it doesn’t always yield the results he wants.
“I think that’s (process) is what it’s always going to take,” Semien said. “The swing is going to be there and some days you have to go into an at-bat and grind.”
Semien has done a lot of grinding lately. On Tuesday, the grind finally paid off in the postseason.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
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