Marcus Semien had a very good moment and a very bad moment Saturday.
The bad arrived first, in the third inning when the Texas Rangers second baseman took a 94.6 mph fastball to the head from Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Grant Holmes. The ball appeared to glance off his helmet and into his face, leaving him in clear pain as athletic trainers attended to him.
Semien opted to stay in the game and scored a batter later on an RBI single from Adolis García.
That run certainly mattered, as the game went to extra innings.
After the Braves went down scoreless in the top of the 10th, Semien delivered a walk-off single to win the game 6-5.
It hasn’t been the best season for Semien, who is slashing .226/.306/.363 with 13 homers and nine stolen bases in 434 plate appearances, but he remains a valuable player between his defense and veteran leadership. And he can clearly still deliver the big hit when needed.
The win boosted the Rangers’ record to 55-50, putting them only a half-game back for the final AL wild-card spot. It remains to be seen what they do at the MLB trade deadline.
