Major League Baseball

Marcus Semien reminds he's one of MLB's best with World Series breakout

Updated Nov. 1, 2023 1:48 p.m. ET

PHOENIX — No Adolis García, no problem?

While the Texas Rangers would love to have their exuberant slugger and American League Championship Series MVP healthy as they try to close out the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 World Series, it's a testament to the rest of the talent on their roster that so many other players stepped up in Game 4 — which commenced shortly after García was officially ruled out for the rest of the Fall Classic with an oblique strain.

Rangers are one win away from first World Series title

And the one who stepped up when they needed him most was Marcus Semien. The way García and Corey Seager have been hitting has helped cover for the fact that Semien had been quiet throughout the postseason, with just two extra-base hits and three RBIs over his first 15 games.

Seager stayed on fire Tuesday by hitting a double and his third home run over the past four games, which made him the first shortstop with at least three home runs in a single World Series.

But Semien, the other half of the Rangers' big free-agency haul from the winter of 2021 to shore up their middle infield, woke up in a big way, with a triple, home run and five RBIs in the first three innings alone as Texas cruised, 11-7, to take a 3-1 World Series lead. In other words, the slugging second baseman matched his output from the entire postseason in just three innings.

Yes, everyone has to step up when a guy like García goes down, and it took more than Semien to build up a big enough cushion to not break too much of a sweat when the team nicknamed the "Answerbacks" tried to mount a late rally. The Rangers got needed contributions from all over their lineup, including Jonah Heim, Josh Jung and García's replacement in right field, Travis Jankowski.

Rangers' Marcus Semien is World Series Game 4 Player of the Game

Everyone in the Rangers' batting order had to be great, and for the most part, they were. But Semien is one of the highest-paid players on this team for a reason, and this was the moment he had to contribute most. And he did just that tonight, setting the tone for the entire team from the leadoff spot. It is why he is and always has been a superstar on this 2023 Rangers squad.

So many wondered why manager Bruce Bochy refused to move Semien down in the lineup as he continued to struggle in the playoffs. Spare me that nonsense. Semien is one of the best players in baseball, a guy the Rangers signed to a nine-figure deal for moments like Tuesday night — and he delivered when they needed him most.

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @BenVerlander.