Marcus Semien and Texas Rangers advance to World Series
Marcus Semien and the Texas Rangers are no longer “little bro” after putting an end to the reign of dominance of Dusty Baker and the Houston Astros with an 11-4 road win in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Tuesday night.
The series victory earned the Rangers their first American League pennant since 2011.
“Fans have been waiting for this moment for 12 years and I cannot wait to be a part of it,” Semien told reporters in the Rangers’ clubhouse as his teammates doused each other in a champagne celebration.
For Semien and the Rangers, the series was personal, facing their fellow state of Texas and AL West rival. It is only fitting that the team’s captain and leader was able to record the last out to bring a World Series baseball back to Arlington, Texas. In an unlikely outcome, the road team won every game.
At the plate in Game 7, Semien was just 1-for-5 with a walk and a run scored, but on defense, turned a critical double play with the Astros’ left fielder Michael Brantley up in the bottom of the first inning to preserve the Rangers’ 3-1 lead.
Third base coach Tony Beasley, who has been with the Rangers since 2015, put his impact on the game. Javier was a priority. The Rangers swiped three bags on the night, their most in a game this postseason.
Game 1 of the World Series will take place at the Rangers stadium, GlobeLife Field, tomorrow night.
As for what’s next for the Astros’ future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker, as of yesterday (Wednesday), reports of his future managing Houston or any other team is speculative.
After dropping to 0-8 in winner-take-all games and falling short in the mission to lead the Astros to a second straight World Series title, conventional thinking is the 74-year-old Baker, who is seventh overall in MLB history with 2, 183 wins, will retire. His contract with Houston is up and with 55 years of Major League Baseball under his belt, Baker should not waste his time on joining any team that is not on the brink of winning a title.
Outfielder Michael Brantley also suited up in an Astros uniform for probably the last time. He was 0-for-5 in Game 7 and finished the playoffs with just a .179 batting average.
A shoulder injury dating back to last year caused Brantley to miss a majority of this season, appearing in only 15 games before the start of the playoffs.
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