Corey Seager was at a loss for words.
The star shortstop had just won the World Series for the second time in four years, as a member of the Texas Rangers.
He also had just been named World Series MVP for the second time in four years, as a member of the Rangers.
So naturally, moments after the Rangers clinched the championship Wednesday night with a 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5, Seager was asked about … the Dodgers?
That’s what happened during Seager’s news conference after the game — a seemingly odd time for a reporter to bring up the team with which Seager won his first World Series and series MVP in 2020 and then let him walk as a free agent after the following season.
“Hey Corey, I’m just gonna ask you the question I get texted the most, especially this whole series,” a reporter said when given a turn to address Seager. “Why did the Dodgers let you go?”
Seager, who had been smiling as the reporter started talking, became visibly uncomfortable as the question unfolded. He looked away, stammered and mumbled “I don’t know” before appearing to turn toward the person running the session for some help.
That person obliged by quickly attempting to move on, but the reporter wasn’t ready to give up on his awkward inquiry.
“You don’t have an answer?” he asked Seager.
Seager did not, giving a slight shrug and uneasy smile before turning his attention to the next reporter’s question.
The Dodgers selected Seager in the first round of the 2012 draft. Four years later, the player out of Northwest Cabarrus High in Concord, N.C., was named the National League rookie of the year. In 2020, Seager was named the MVP of the NL Championship Series before earning the same honor in the World Series while leading the Dodgers to their first championship since 1988.
Seager turned down an eight-year, $250-million contract extension offered by the Dodgers during spring training in 2021. He became a free agent the following offseason and signed a 10-year, $325-million contract with the Rangers, who had lost 102 games the previous season.
The Rangers went 68-94 in 2022 before this year’s dramatic turnaround, which culminated in the first World Series championship in the organization’s history. When speaking about the team during his postgame news conference Wednesday, Seager said he was “lost for words.”
This time, that was a good thing.
“It’s just awesome, you know?” Seager said. “This is the vision, right? So kind of lost for words, but it’s a really special moment.”
