On Sunday, Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager made incredible MLB postseason history by doing virtually nothing.
Seager did his best Barry Bonds impression, walking a major league record five times in the Rangers’ 11-8 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.
The Rangers two-hole hitter didn’t manage a hit, but he did force Orioles pitching to throw him 31 pitches over his five free passes, officially ending the night 0-of-1 with two runs scored.
Seager also became only the fourth player in baseball history to reach base three or more times in the first four games of the postseason, per the Rangers, joining Hall of Famers Frank Thomas (1993), Edgar Martinez (1995) and David Ortiz (2007).
As for Game 2 itself, Seager’s game plan spread throughout the Rangers lineup, which showed tremendous patience, drawing 11 walks as a team.
On top of Seager’s five base-on-balls, Leody Tavares drew two walks, while Josh Jung, Nathaniel Lowe, Evan Carter, and Marcus Semien had one apiece.
The Rangers’ collective eye at the plate made an impact as despite scoring 11 runs, they were still out-hit by the Orioles, 14-11, and batted only 5-of-17 with runners in scoring position.
As it turns out, the Rangers needed every single run.
After falling behind the Orioles 2-0 in the first inning, Texas responded with nine runs over the next two innings to take what looked to be a commanding seven-run lead.
However, the Orioles put together a little rally trailing 11-5 in the ninth, ultimately forcing the Rangers to insert closer Jose Leclerc, who stopped the bleeding after three runs had already crossed the plate.
The Rangers now head home with a 2-0 series lead, one win away from advancing to the ALCS.
