This week’s series was one of the biggest of the season thus far for both the Rangers and Angels
Texas has been in first place in the AL West all year long and began the four-game set with a five-game lead on the second-place Astros. Los Angeles was also within spitting distance at 6.5 games back. The Angels won the first two games and the Rangers won the third, so Thursday night’s finale was an opportunity for Texas to salvage a split.
In the bottom of the seventh, Texas had the tying run on third with one out and leadoff hitter Marcus Semien at the plate. With the count full, Chris Devenski threw a changeup low that Semien started to swing at. First-base umpire Ramon De Jesus ruled that Semien went around.
Marcus Semien was ruled out on strikes. Do you think Semien went? pic.twitter.com/VZWJ2b6sRw
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 16, 2023
It was a controversial call, and even more consequential when the inning ended with that runner stranded at third and the Rangers still trailing by a run.
In between innings, Semien complained to De Jesus and was promptly ejected. Pitching coach Mike Maddux charged out from the dugout and also got run. That prompted manager Bruce Bochy to go out and stand up for his guys. Bochy—you guessed it—was sent to the showers as well.
Speechless....
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) June 16, 2023
@Rangers | #StraightUpTX | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/JQWsQUgG1H
All this happened in the span of about a minute. De Jesus’s right arm got a serious workout as he sent all three guys packing in quick succession.
Semien didn’t think he did anything that warranted an ejection.
“The game is on the line,” Semien told reporters. “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% 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 Rangers went on to lose the game, 5–3, when Adolis García struck out with the bases loaded to end it. Their lead in the division now stands at 3.5 games, with the Angels 4.5 games back.
