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TORONTO – In a long season, three residences and a dozen different ups and downs for the Blue Jays, there has always been Marcus Semien.
The star second baseman kicked off his 40th home run of the season in Saturday afternoon’s 6-2 win over the Twins at Rogers Center, building on a career year that is expected to place him just behind Shohei Ohtani and his teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the AL MVP. conversation. With the win, the Blue Jays advance half a game ahead of the Yankees to reclaim second place in the AL’s Wild Card and sit one game behind the Red Sox for first place.
Semien’s performance goes beyond anything the Blue Jays might have expected when they signed him on a one-year, $ 18 million contract last offseason. Yes, his 2019 season has proven that Semien is capable of being a top player in the Majors, but after a tough year in 2020, he shatters his own career records out of the water at the plate while he putting in the conversation of the Gold Glove Award in his first season at second base.
With 14 games to go, Semien also has a chance to make history by hitting the most home runs by a second baseman in a single season.
Most HR in a single season by a 2B (at least 50% of 2B matches):
1. Davey Johnson: 43 (1973)
T2. Brian Dozier: 42 (2016)
T2. Rogers Hornsby: 42 (1922)
T4. Ryne Sandberg: 40 (1990)
T4. Marcus seeds: 40 (2021)
“It’s just not easy to do,” said manager Charlie Montoyo. “That’s why I wanted to put the home run jacket on him when he did that. I said congratulations to him. Being a second baseman and having the season he’s already had with 40 home runs? It is not easy to do. I am proud of him. He was great for us.
Semien’s dominance has been eclipsed by Guerrero at times, and that’s understandable, but the duo have arguably formed the best one-two in baseball this season. Both ranked in the MLB’s top four for homers, Semien and Guerrero also became just the fourth duo in Blue Jays history to hit more than 40 homers in the same season. They join José Bautista and Josh Donaldson (2015), Carlos Delgado and Tony Batista (2000) and Delgado and Shawn Green (1999).
The consistency of Semien’s season has also been remarkable. When George Springer missed time at the start, Semien stepped in as the front man, and the squad didn’t skip a beat. He seemed equally comfortable at bat in second and third, and since his slow April and scorching May, Semien has been one of the most stable hitters in baseball.
“This guy does the same thing every day,” Montoyo explained. “He comes here at the same time every day. If there is an optional BP, it is there. If there are optional ground balls, it’s there. Whatever he did was because of his work ethic. Nobody works harder than this guy.
What Semien does isn’t just great, it’s rare. It might end up being a brief flash of brilliance, given his pending free agency, but if the Blue Jays continue to play like they did during the first half of September, there will be playoff baseball in. Toronto.
The Blue Jays were also offended by Teoscar Hernández, whose three-point skyscraper barely broke the wall in left field. Hernández’s 28th Homer of the Year gave him 106 RBIs, placing him third in baseball behind José Abreu (111) and Salvador Perez (112). Considering that Hernández missed three weeks in April while on COVID-19 IL, this accomplishment is even more incredible.
“I’m slowing the game down and not trying to think about the base runners,” said Hernández, whose approach matured considerably from 2019. “I’m focusing on my hitter and just trying to establish a good contact, I know that if I make good contact with the men on base, I’m going to do some damage.
“Damage” was the September theme for the Blue Jays. Their starting pitcher set the stage as well, as Steven Matz’s 5 2/3 two-runner innings on Saturday as he continues a quietly strong season. With all of the phases of this lineup finally taking place at the same time, the Blue Jays remain a team that no one wants to face in October.
They’ll have to get there first, but if they do, it will be Semien leading the way, and Semien will arrive on the pitch first on the day of the Wild Card Game.
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