Bradford DoolittleESPN Staff Writer November 1, 2023, 11:21 PM ET3 minutes read
Seager: What Bruce Bochy has done is incredible
2023 MVP Corey Seager reacts to the Texas Rangers securing their first World Series crown.
PHOENIX – While the regular season version of Corey Seager has firmly established himself as one of the game’s best players, the playoff version is quickly becoming a postseason legend.
The Rangers’ star shortstop was named World Series MVP for the second time in his career on Wednesday as Texas defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5 to capture its first World Series title.
Seager led the way by hitting three home runs and driving in six in the five games, posting an OPS of 1.137. He opened the Rangers’ decisive rally with a single in the seventh inning to break a no-hit bid by Arizona’s Zac Gallen, then scored the game’s first run.
The honor was a fitting one for Seager and the Rangers. It was his decision to sign a 10-year, $325 million contract with Texas ahead of the 2022 season that helped jump-start the Rangers’ turnaround.
“It’s really unbelievable,” Seager said after the game, deflecting the praise as usual. “But it’s not just about me, man. What this team has done and how we’ve competed and how all the guys in there have competed, we don’t really have a leader. The whole clubhouse is the leadership.”
Seager was also MVP of the 2020 World Series while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He joins Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson as just the fourth player to win multiple World Series MVP trophies since the award was first presented in 1955. He joins Jackson (Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees) as only the second player to win the award for two different teams.
“I don’t think you could ever imagine it,” Seager said. “It’s a very special group to be a part of.”
“The Fall Classic” is another item on Seager’s burgeoning postseason resume. He was also MVP of the 2020 National League Championship Series and has a career playoff OPS of .858 with 19 home runs and 48 RBIs in 78 games. His six home runs in 18 career World Series games are twice as many as any other shortstop.