Marcus Semien and the Texas Rangers are no longer little bro after putting an end to the reign of dominance by Dusty Baker and his Houston Astros with an 11-4 win in Game Seven of the ALCS.
Rangers win the American League pennant for the first time 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 as his teammates doused each other in yet another champagne celebration.
For Semien and the Rangers, this series was personal and it is only fitting that the team’s captain and leader was able to record the last out to bring World Series baseball back to Arlington, Texas.
At the plate, he was 1-for-5 with a walk and a run scored while on defense he turned a critical double play early in the game to get out Michael Brantley and preserve the lead.
Third base coach Tony Beasley, who has been with the Rangers since 2015 did his part in executing a great game plan that made stealing bases off of Houston starter Christian Javier a priority.
The team swiped three bags which is the most they have in a game this entire postseason.
Game One of the World Series will take place at GlobeLife Field Friday night.
What is next for the Astros?
Right now, all we can do is speculate about what the next move is from Dusty Baker.
After dropping to 0-8 in winner take all games and failing the mission to repeat as a World Series Champion, what more does Baker have left to coach for?
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 likely the last time.
“Uncle Mike” was 0-for-5 in Game Seven and finished the playoffs with just a .179 batting average.
A shoulder injury from 2022 caused Brantley to miss a good majority of this year.
It did not appear the Astros took the training wheels off of him until the playoffs, which ultimately was too late for him to find his true form.
Still, I believe there is a lot left in Brantley’s bat and a contending team will bring him in as a DH against right handed pitching.
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