"It's definitely not easy" - Rangers star Corey Seager on Texas' struggles to defend World Series title
Texas Rangers star Corey Seager has admitted that the team is set to relinquish its World Series crown after a disappointing title defense. The shortstop said that it's a difficult task to live up to expectations following their triumph last year, even though he feels the Rangers should have performed much better this season.
Seager, who made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers, won the 2016 National League Rookie of the Year. He signed a 10-year, $325 million deal with the Rangers in 2022 and led them to their first World Series victory last year, where he was named the MVP.
On Monday, Seager hit a pair of home runs to score all the runs for his team as the Rangers overcame the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Before the start of the game, the 30-year-old discussed the tame defense of the Rangers' World Series crown.
“You never envision playing badly, especially after playing well (last season), right?” Corey Seager said. “But yeah, it’s not easy. It’s definitely not easy.”
“For sure, just knowing where you were and knowing what you're coming into, and not expecting (to lose), but knowing there were going to be the challenges (in 2022). After winning and playing well last year, and expecting to now win and expecting to play well all the time and then not doing it, it's definitely hard for sure,” Seager explained.
Despite the Rangers having a woeful campaign, Seager earned his fifth All-Star Game selection earlier in the year. He's batting .273/.355./507 for the season with an .807 OPS and 28 home runs.
"Just go out there and play good baseball": Corey Seager
Although a playoff bid looks unrealistic, Corey Seager is keen to give his full effort for the team. He wishes to use the current season as a learning experience for the Rangers to make a strong comeback next year.
"The game is not easy. It's always going to challenge you. And we've been challenged, and now you see how you respond. You haven't played well. You put yourself in a hole. But that doesn't mean you just give in. And you can still continue to play well and try to play well,” Seager said regarding his intentions for the remainder of the 2024 season.
“To play good baseball. That's about it. It's all you can do, really, at this point, is just go out there and play good baseball,” he added.
The Texas Rangers have a 58-68 record, placing them third in the AL West, with about six weeks left in the regular season. They are 11 games behind the Houston Astros in the division and have a 1.5-game deficit in the race for the final Wild Card spot.