PHOENIX — Before the eighth-inning double play that stopped the Arizona Diamondbacks in their tracks, Corey Seager widened his stance, bent his knees, lowered his center of gravity. As Texas Rangers reliever Aroldis Chapman delivered the pitch to Ketel Marte, Seager took a hop. This is the artistry of fielding at work.
Defense and the repetitious diligence it requires is perhaps the most underappreciated part of baseball. Game-changing plays, though, are often a product of preparation and repetition as much as they are exceptional athleticism. Pre-pitch movements equate to a predator preparing to pounce. Here at the highest level, these moments do not happen by accident.
In the eyes of Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, it is this dedication to the subtleties that sets Seager apart.
“It’s his first step,” Jung said. “His first step has been phenomenal. He’s reading the ball off the bat. If you watch every pitch, all game, he’s moving. We both kind of pride ourselves on that. When we see a swing, we’re moving with the pitch. We’re anticipating.”
Seager’s preparation showed in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the World Series. The Diamondbacks had one out and a runner on first base. Geraldo Perdomo had reached via an RBI single that cut the Rangers’ lead to 3-1. Chapman was struggling. A mischievous Arizona team seemed on the verge of striking yet again. Chapman threw Marte a sinker low and over the middle of the plate. The ball rocketed off Marte’s bat at 114.4 mph. Seager took five quick strides, reached out with his glove hand and hit the dirt. He stopped, twisted and fed a firm toss to Marcus Semien at second base. Semien pivoted and rifled the ball to first.
Like that, the inning was over. The Texas lead was intact.
“I think it was a dagger for them,” Semien said. “They had that momentum in the eighth inning. They hit the ball hard, and we got two outs out of it. It was huge.”
Said Seager: “Tremendous job on Marcus’ part, especially with that transfer in the turn. What he did really made that play.”
Poetry in motion. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/cFTf9gVVqA
— MLB (@MLB) October 31, 2023
The play, again, was the result of so much more. Seager entered this season with a reputation as a below-average defensive shortstop. When he signed his $325 million mega contract with the Rangers two years ago, some pundits questioned whether he was best suited to play in the middle of the diamond. Six times in his career, his Defensive Runs Saved metric was rated as negative.
This season, though, Seager finished with five Defensive Runs Saved. He was named a Gold Glove finalist earlier this month. Seager did not attribute his improvements to anything specific. He mentioned positioning tweaks and work with former Rangers manager Chris Woodward, dating to their time together with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Seager, who stands 6-foot-4, has worked over the years to shorten his strides and stay centered over the ball.
But also more than ever, it seems he has honed his pre-pitch preparation.
“One thousand percent,” Jung said. “That’s a conscious thought. It’s really easy to go out there and just kinda relax. But to be that locked in is definitely a conscious, intentional effort.”
The eighth-inning 6-4-3 served as one of the biggest plays of Monday’s 3-1 Rangers victory, giving Texas a 2-1 series lead. Of course, it was none other than Seager who provided one of the game’s other defining moments. That came in the top of the third. Semien had just notched an RBI single. Diamondbacks pitching coach Brent Strom came out to visit starter Brandon Pfaadt on the mound. Seager lurked, waiting to enter the batter’s box.
Pfaadt’s first pitch to Seager was an 86 mph changeup, grooved middle-in to one of the game’s most potent hitters. A split-second later, the ball with a 114.5 mph exit velocity landed 421 feet away in the right-field seats.
First baseman Nathaniel Lowe grinned as he described the blast after the game.
“Especially after a visit, too, it’s the same concept of standing on the tee box and saying, ‘Don’t hook it in the water,’ and you’re probably gonna hook it in the water,” Lowe said. “I can’t image that their guy went out there and told (Pfaadt) to give him a changeup Corey could hit 114 mph. But that’s why Corey is Corey.”
COREY CLOBBERS ONE. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/BzghAXPPpN
— MLB (@MLB) October 31, 2023
The home run was the latest example of Seager’s postseason prowess. He has five home runs in 16 career World Series games. No other shortstop in World Series history has homered as many times.
The double play, though, might have revealed more about him and his team. The Rangers worked relentlessly this year to improve their defense. Seager — though other defensive metrics such as Outs Above Average still paint a mixed picture of his abilities — cut his error total from 17 in 144 games last season to eight in 112 games this year.
“I think he deserves a Gold Glove,” Semien said. “His glove has always been good. When he’s in the big game, the big moment, I think he’s even better.”
The Rangers went from ranking 20th in Defensive Runs Saved last year to seventh this season. Their growth showed in a major way on Monday. Adolis García threw out a runner at the plate. Jung made a stellar play corralling a ball that had ricocheted off pitcher Max Scherzer.
“Just a great game defensively,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “It shows you what defense can do. It can win a ballgame for you. And it helped us win tonight.”
The Seager-Semien double play defused Arizona’s best chance for an offensive explosion. And dramatic as it was, the play does not happen without a deeper devotion to the minutiae of the game.
“I’ve really seen him do that a lot this year,” Jung said. “It’s been incredible to see him get to some balls where you’re like, ‘Oh wow!’”
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
