Questionable Marcus Semien Strikeout Costs Texas Rangers in Angels Loss

Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien was called out on controversial call with the tying run at third and later ejected in Thursday's loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

A questionable strikeout of Marcus Semien that led to his ejection, along with manager Bruce Bochy and pitching coach Mike Maddux, played a critical role in the Texas Rangers falling 5-3 Thursday night to the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park.

The call in the bottom of the seventh was certainly huge.

“It’s a call that might have turned that game around,” Bochy said. “We don’t know, but certainly was a huge call that went against us.”

Semien took issue with being called out on a check swing by first base umpire Ramon De Jesus. The pitch from Chris Devenski on a 3-2 count was low and inside, and Semien appeared to hold up. Home plate umpire Alfonso Marques asked for an appeal and De Jesus punched Semien out.

“The game is on the line,” Semien said, according to MLB.com. “I’m just mad at myself for even offering at that pitch, but I thought I made a good take, and I look up and the umpires are saying I swung. I kind of made some gestures towards him and walked into the dugout. When we went on defense, I calmly told him, ‘Hey, the game is on the line. Like, we all want to be good when the game’s on the line. I need 100 percent focus with the game on the line.’

“And he threw me out of the game. I’ve talked to umpires with calmness because I want to know where they’re at. I want to know why they made a decision, you know? So I didn’t even get an answer from him. I just got thrown out.”

The situation made the call even harder to swallow. With the Angels up 3-2, Travis Jankowski was at third with one out as the possible tying run with Semien up. After Semien was called out, Corey Seager was intentionally walked and Nathaniel Lowe grounded out to end the inning.

“Tight ballgame, runner at third, you see that check swing and you see it called when he doesn’t go, vice versa,” Bochy said. “It’s a tough call at that moment.

“Obviously, we didn’t think it was called and Marcus … emotions were flying and we were barking pretty good. And he went it to talk about it and got tossed there.”

Semien went up to De Jesus before the eighth began seeking an explanation, saying multiple times that the pitch in question was “ball four.” De Jesus ejected Semien. Maddux was tossed after coming to Semien’s defense. Bochy came out of the dugout with an ax to grind and De Jesus finished off his hat trick of ejections.

It marked only the second ejection of Semien’s 11-year career, with the previous one in 2019 while with the Oakland Athletics. Maddux has also been ejected just twice. Bochy has 79 on his ledger, including on April 15 against the Houston Astros.

“I talk to [umpires] every single day,” Semien said. “When I’m out in the field, I talk. It was always with that calmness. What I did say was, ‘Whatever, if he wants to throw me out for what I said, explain that to me. Don’t just throw me out and walk away.’ That part of that was frustrating. Like I said, the game was on the line. I need better focus. We all want to be better with the game on the line, and that was it.”

Texas (42-26) opens three-game weekend series Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Martín Pérez (6-2, 4.67) goes the Rangers opposite Kevin Gausman (5-3, 3.12). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. at Globe Life Field.

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