Seager's HR spoils no-hit bid, makes history
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Are you a left-handed pitcher just one out away from a no-hitter in an August game against your biggest rival? If so, there’s one hitter you definitely don’t want to face.
That would be the Rangers’ Corey Seager, who broke a hurler’s heart under those circumstances Tuesday night -- and not for the first time.
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Seager’s two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, ending Framber Valdez’s night and the Astros' left-hander’s no-hit bid, hearkened back to a memorable Seager at-bat eight years ago.
On Aug. 25, 2016, Seager stepped in for the Dodgers with two outs in the ninth against Giants lefty Matt Moore. The L.A. shortstop blooped a single into right field, ending Moore’s chances at a no-hitter.
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That meant that Tuesday's homer made Seager the only player on record to break up TWO no-hitters with two outs in the ninth inning. The Mets’ J.D. Martinez was the most recent hitter to end one such bid, homering to put an end to a combined effort by the Braves on May 11. Seager’s home run Tuesday made 2024 the first season on record with multiple no-hit bids broken up with two outs in the ninth.
Plenty has changed from Seager’s first heartbreaking hit to his second. For one, Moore has pitched for six teams since 2016, including the Rangers ('18, '22). His manager with San Francisco that fateful day was none other than Bruce Bochy, now Seager’s skipper in Texas.
Seager, of course, left the Dodgers to help the Rangers win their first World Series ring in 2023. Tuesday’s homer had little significance to him -- the Astros still held on for a 4-2 win -- but it certainly carried some history with it.