Déjà vu all over again: Seager shows off HR power in WS rematch

ARLINGTON -- It must have felt like déjà vu for the Arizona Diamondbacks, a million times over.

The D-backs know, perhaps better than any other club, the damage Corey Seager can do after the superstar shortstop was the World Series MVP when the two squads faced off last season. But two games in a row, Arizona both tried to avoid it with an intentional walk early in the game and suffered, once again, with a big home run late in the game.

On Wednesday afternoon, the D-backs issued an intentional walk to Seager in the third inning with two on and two out. It worked, as Josh Smith followed and flew out to center field. In the fifth inning, with one on and two out, Arizona took its chances facing Seager.

The D-backs shouldn’t have. Seager drove a 93.7 mph cutter just over the right-field wall, giving the Rangers a 4-0 lead in their eventual 6-1 win at Globe Life Field and two-game sweep in the World Series rematch.

Seager said he doesn’t think much of it when he’s intentionally walked, nor does he think about it when he’s not. He’s just trying to hit the ball when they give him the opportunity.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has a different perspective.

He has managed a number of Hall of Fame hitters, including one notable one when it comes to receiving intentional walks in Barry Bonds. Seager’s seven intentional walks this season are already tied for the second-most in a single season in his career (nine in 2013, seven in ‘22).

“He’s right up there,” Bochy said of Seager. “You know it's going to happen. It’s not like we're surprised when it does happen. What has to happen is what I talked about yesterday, the guy behind [Smith] got a big hit yesterday. It’s going to happen in the future. We know that, so it's gonna take everybody doing something to help win the ballgame. Because he's that good, and you understand it.”

Seager has now homered eight times in his last eight games. Before this stretch, he had five homers in his first 43 games of the season.

“You just get better and better, right?” Seager said at the end of the Rangers' road trip in Minnesota. “You're just trying to always improve, and fortunately right now, I’m on the other end of [my early season skid]. It’s a lot of just how baseball goes.”

Seager is just the fifth player in Rangers history (since 1972) to homer eight or more times over an eight-game span. The others: Joey Gallo in 2021, Josh Hamilton in 2012, Rafael Palmeiro in 1999 and Jose Canseco in 1994.

He is also just the fifth player in Major League history to hit eight or more homers in eight games when appearing at shortstop in each of those games. Those others: Trea Turner in 2023, Gleyber Torres in 2019, Troy Tulowitzki in 2010 and Leo Cardenas in 1966.

“I don’t know what else to say about him,” Bochy said. “I mean, he was carrying us through that tough stretch and this was another big day for him.”

Even Seager’s teammates are often in awe of his abilities on the field. The shortstop is a man of few words, but his teammates won’t hesitate to praise him.

“It's extremely impressive,” said Dane Dunning, who dealt five scoreless innings in his start. “Even at the start of the year, when he was struggling a little bit, his work ethic and his routine was so dialed in. He does everything the same way every day. He has his plan and when you see it come to life in these stretches, it's been a lot of fun to watch.”

Seager is now hitting .289/.393/.667 in the month of May. It's been a predictable bounceback for the shortstop, who got off to a slow start to the 2024 season.

And though he ended April with a .236/.319/.311 slash line, Bochy was never worried. Seager admitted in early May that it was a work in progress for him, more or less, but he wasn’t any more worried than Bochy that things would turn around soon.

Things have more than turned around at this point.

“We've seen it so many times, he's just a great hitter,” Bochy said. “When he gets right, he's a tough out. I mean, this guy is as good as anybody in the game. He got off to a slow start, but you have to look at why. He missed Spring Training after surgery, and it takes time. There was never never any thought that he wouldn't get back on track. These guys are so fun to watch when they get in the zone.”