Cal Baseball: Scoring Runs, Not the Hit Streak, Is What Matters to Marcus Semien

Semien's hit streak ended at 25 consecutive games, tied for second in Rangers' history.

The Texas Rangers’ franchise record for longest consecutive-games hit streak will continue to be the property of Gabe Kapler, now the manager of the San Francisco Giants.

Marcus Semien fell three games short of equaling Kapler’s streak of 28 games, set in 2000, when he went hitless in four at-bats on Wednesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Semien, the 32-year-old former Cal star, finished with a career-long 25-game hit streak, matching Ian Kinsler (2008) and Michael Young (2005) for second-longest in Rangers history.

“I've been swinging the bat well,” Semien told the Dallas Morning News. “Overall, I’ve been happy with getting on base and scoring runs. I’ve said it before, but I want to score runs. To do that, you’ve got to have some plate discipline, get on base and hit with some power. I’d have been very happy if I had taken a walk and scored in the ninth.

“Streaks are tough to keep going.”

Marcus Semien scores the winning run Monday night vs. St. Louis / Photo by Jerome Miron, USA Today

Semien, who was on deck when the Cardinals closed out a 1-0 victory, batted .316 (36 for 114) during the streak and had 26 runs scored and 22 RBIs. His 33-game on-base streak also came to an end.

The Rangers remain atop the AL West with a record of 40-21. They have Thursday off before visiting the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays (45-19).

Semien will take a .299 season batting average to Tampa. He is second in the AL with 19 doubles (behind former A’s teammate Matt Chapman, who has 22 for Toronto) and second in hits with 76, and third with 55 RBIs.

The statistic that matters most to Semien is runs scored, and he leads the majors with 55 of them.

“I want to score runs,” Semien said. “You want to score runs, you do whatever you can to reach base. You get on base, you do whatever you can to score. That’s all I really want to do. I think if everybody shares the same goals, it makes for a good offensive team. Everybody understands who we are. We just want to continue to improve.”

Semien’s contributions to the Rangers’ great start to this season extend beyond his hitting streak. In Monday’s 4-3 walk-off win over the Cardinals, Semien drove in the final run in the Rangers’ three-run-second inning, then walked and scored the decisive run when Nathaniel Lowe singled to left.

A videotape of Marcus Semien “hustle highlights” reportedly has been making its way through the Rangers’ front office and player development system.

“He’s having a lot of fun, and he should be with the way he’s playing,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s the guy who gets things going. He’s a manager’s dream. I’m a fan watching him.”

Bochy talked this week about Semien’s continued efforts to improve his game, and in doing so paid him a supreme compliment.

“He reminds me of Tony that way,” Bochy said. “As good as Tony Gwynn was, he never stopped trying to get better. The good ones, that’s what makes them so good. They never stop.”

The hitting streak was stopped, but Semien marches on.

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Here are the 10 longest hitting streaks in MLB history:

MLB

Cover photo of Marcus Semien by Jerome Miron, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo