Justin Foscue rebounds from causing blooper with star SS Corey Seager with 1st homer for Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Justin Foscue finally went deep for the first time in the big leagues with the Texas Rangers. That home run created a much happier highlight than the embarrassing blooper-reel moment he knows he will see often in the future after running into their two-time World Series MVP shortstop.

“Getting your first home run is a big deal. … And I almost took out the star shortstop,” Foscue said. “A lot of ups and downs.”

Foscue, a first-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2020, hit his first career homer Saturday night in the Rangers’ 6-0 victory that snapped the Chicago Cubs’ 10-game winning streak.

“It was a big relief for me,” he said. “It is the best moment of my career so far.”

That came roughly 24 hours after he was playing second base and collided with Corey Seager, who was moving to his left to field a grounder up the middle. The ball squirted past as the infielders tumbled to the ground behind the bag. Neither was injured, but Foscue was charged with an error for causing the mishap in that 7-1 loss.

“Nobody feels worse (for) running into Corey Seager. Trust me, he did not want to do that,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “I think it was big of Corey to go up to him and say, it’s gonna be all right, you know, don’t worry about it.”

Seager actually texted Foscue after that game to let him know everything was good.

“That really meant a lot,” Foscue said. “I said I’m glad you’re OK.”

Foscue had entered the series opener against the Cubs as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning, and his RBI single produced the only Texas run. The fielding blooper to open the seventh led to three unearned runs for Chicago.

When the Rangers gave struggling Jake Burger a break Saturday night, Foscue started at first base.

“If (Seager) would have gotten hurt, then I don’t know if I would be here,” Foscue said after his 23th big league game since his debut in 2024. It was his fourth game this season since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock after second baseman Josh Smith went on the injured list.

Instead, Foscue stayed and Schumaker was even making light of the fielding blooper with a joke about it during the hitters meeting before Saturday’s game.

“Kind of lightens it a little bit,” Foscue said. “Stuff like that happens in baseball, and I hate that I was the one, that I was part of it, and I cannot believe that it happened still. … You can’t think about the day before. If you do that, you’re gonna be carrying a lot of baggage with you.”

In the clubhouse after hitting his first homer, Foscue got a celebratory beer shower from his teammates.

“It’s how you bounce back,” Schumaker said. “That shows you what kind of person and what kind of character you have.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb