ARLINGTON, Texas — Marcus Semien hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Texas Rangers to a 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night at Globe Life Field, with the 34-year-old second baseman coming through at the plate seven innings after he took a 94.6 mph fastball to the helmet.
Semien’s solid shot up the middle off Enyel De Los Santos (3-3) gave the Rangers their fifth straight victory. It came after the Braves intentionally walked Corey Seager to start the 10th.
The Rangers are 4-5 in extra-inning games this season, while the Braves are 6-5.
“What a warrior effort,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “I mean, getting hit like that, there’s not too many guys that would have stayed in the game. You can’t take him out. Yeah, he’s just hardheaded.”
Atlanta took a 5-4 lead in the ninth, when Michael Harris II led off with an opposite-field triple for his fourth extra-base hit of the game, then scored on Sean Murphy’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly. It was the second triple for Harris, who finished 4-for-4 and scored three times. The center fielder also had an RBI double and a solo homer in the sixth that made it 4-all.
Josh Jung drew a one-out walk for the Rangers in the bottom of the ninth, and then pinch-runner Sam Haggerty stole second base and scored on Jonah Heim’s double off closer Raisel Iglesias, who had his fifth blown save in 16 chances this season.
The Rangers led 4-2 in the third on a two-run single by Adolis García, immediately after the scary moment when Semien was hit on the ear flap of his helmet by Atlanta starter Grant Holmes’ fastball.
Semien turned his head down and avoided a direct shot to the face when he was unable to get out of the way of the ball. He then twisted his body while grabbing at the left side of his face as he stumbled back and then laid flat on his back.
“Initially, I felt impact just on the side of my face,” Semien said. “If it got me without a helmet, it probably would have been way more painful. So eventually I got up, and I was fine.”
Getting mobbed by his excited teammates at the end was a vast contrast to the scary scene in the third, when third base coach Tony Beasley immediately ran toward Semien while athletic trainer Matt Lucero and Bochy came out of the home dugout.
After staying down for a few moments while talking to Lucero, Semien sat up and then eventually walked slowly to first base. After an extended conversation, including several more questions from the trainer, Semien stayed in the game even as he rubbed his left cheek.
“I didn’t think there was any chance he’d stay in the game. … I just assumed that he was coming out the game,” Bochy said.
Holmes appeared distraught while Semien was down, and he got a visit from pitching coach Rick Kranitz as the Rangers were tending to their second baseman. Holmes was unavailable after the game, when the Braves said he was headed to the injured list with elbow tightness.
When play resumed, Holmes went to a 3-0 count on García, the next batter, including a wild pitch that allowed Seager and Semien to advance a base. Both scored on García’s single to right.
Semien took the field when the Rangers went back on defense in the fourth, and he batted again in the bottom of the inning. That at-bat ended with him slamming his helmet after his hard shot up the middle deflected off Holmes and to Ozzie Albies, the Atlanta second baseman, for what turned into an inning-ending out with the bases loaded after another walk by Seager.
“Whenever they walk Corey, I want to come through,” Semien said. “I was just mad that ball didn’t kick further and, you know, bases loaded. But I was just pretty angry to get hit in the face and then not get any hits. … I was happy to at least get one hit.”
The one that won the game.
“Just fitting that he came up there in that situation,” Bochy said.
Shawn Armstrong (4-3), the fourth pitcher used by the Rangers, worked the final two innings.
“It’s going to take a lot for him to come out of the lineup, and I’m sure glad he’s in it,” Armstrong said if Semien. “It’s a lot of fun playing with him.”
Seager’s single just before Semien got hit had extended his on-base streak to 25 games, now the longest active in the majors after Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich’s 30-gamer ended Saturday.
It looked like Atlanta had a 2-0 lead on Albies’ single in the first, but Texas challenged the safe call for the second runner that came home on that hit to right. García made a one-hop throw, and the replay showed Matt Olson’s right leg was off the ground over the plate when tagged by catcher Heim.
Texas (55-50), which won the opener to the three-game series 8-3 on Friday night, has won four consecutive series and is five games over .500 for the first time since being 14-9 on April 22.
Atlanta (44-59) has lost three consecutive series and seven of its past eight. The Braves haven’t won a series since sweeping three games against the visiting New York Mets on June 17-19, although they did split a four-game set with the same team on the road on June 23-26.
The scheduled starting pitchers for Sunday’s series finale in Arlington are right-handers Bryce Elder (4-6, 5.63 ERA) for the Braves and Jack Leiter (6-6, 4.27) for the Rangers.