Marcus Semien Walks Off Rangers Victory After He's Hit in Head by Pitch

ARLINGTON — Three different Texas Rangers, three different ways of describing second baseman Marcus Semien.

“Iron Man,” said pitcher Kumar Rocker.

“He’s a dog,” said relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong.

“He’s just hard-headed,” said manager Bruce Bochy.

Semien had the walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning to help the Rangers to a 6-5 victory, their fifth straight win and their third series win of the homestand on Saturday at Globe Life Field.

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That came after Semien spent several minutes sprawled on the ground in the third inning after he was hit in the head by a pitch by Atlanta Braves starter Grant Holmes.

“I didn’t think there was any chance he’s stays in the game,” Bochy said.

Semien was fortunate. He wasn’t sure exactly where the 95 mph fastball hit his helmet, but it absorbed enough of the speed of the pitch to help him avoid serious injury.

“Initially I felt impact on the side of my face,” he said. “If it had gotten me without my helmet it probably would have been way more painful. So, eventually I got up and I was fine.”

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Semien went through a concussion protocol on the field with team trainer Matt Lucero. He passed that and went to first base. He later scored on an Adolis Garcia two RBI single.

He also underwent tests after the game, and he said he passed all those tests.

Semien finished the game with one hit — the one that mattered.

He came to the plate in the 10th with two runners on and no one out after the Braves opted to intentionally walk Corey Seager. Semien made the Braves pay for it with a single up the heart of the field, scoring Josh Smith, who was the designated runner at second.

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That was just Semien’s second hit of the homestand, as he was 1-for-24 entering the game. His bat has turned around since the start of June and, since the beginning of July, the offense has been one of the best in baseball.

Armstrong — who claimed the win and barely dodged a Ronald Acuna Jr. home run in the 10th — sees it from his vantage point in the bullpen.

“The vibe here, we can all feel it with what we’ve been doing and winning multiple series in a row,” Armstrong said.

The Astros have lost 10 of their last 15 and their divisional lead is shrinking. The trade deadline is Thursday. An AL West road trip awaits Texas next week. The momentum is real.

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Texas can wrap up a series sweep with a win on Sunday. That would give the Rangers an 8-1 homestand.

Naturally, Semien will be at second base.

“There aren’t too many guys that would have stayed in the game,” Bochy said. “You can’t take him out. He’s just hard-headed and he said he was fine. And, you know, it’s just fitting he came up in that situation.”

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