Three removed from winning the 2020 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers could only watch as a handful of their former players — most notably Corey Seager — were back in the Fall Classic to battle it out against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Along with Seager, the likes of Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, Josh Sborz and Max Scherzer were players on the Rangers roster with ties to the Dodgers. Eovaldi, Seager and Sborz were former Dodgers draft picks.
Seager posted an MVP-caliber performance during the regular season and continued that level of play throughout October. It culminated with winning a second career World Series MVP Award.
While Seager was helping lead the Rangers throughout the postseason, Scherzer noted he remains the same as their time as Dodgers teammates, per Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
“No, he’s the same Corey Seager,” Scherzer said with a grin. “Did you ever think he would change? No.”
Seager is one of MLB’s quiet superstars, much like Mike Trout. He plays the game with intensity, and brings out the raw feelings when the moment calls for it.
His current trajectory has been as skyward as anyone in baseball, and to his credit, teammates have all seen Seager for who he is. Sborz further elaborated on Scherzer’s comments about Seager being a no-thrills, fundamental star that he quickly became known:
“He’s the exact same,” said Rangers reliever Josh Sborz, who spent parts of two seasons with Seager on the Dodgers. “Great guy, good leader, works hard. He’s always there. Just a good dude, man, overall, and it’s one of the reasons why he’s special.”
Guiding the Rangers to a comeback win in Game 1, Seager provided a lifeline shock to the World Series that had been dominated by unlikely storylines.
The scrappy play of the Diamondbacks earned them the right to play in the Fall Classic, but Seager’s heroics proved that when needed, a team’s star have to step up when called upon.
Walker Buehler praised Corey Seager
Seager’s 2020 postseason was a taste of how incredibly talented the slugging shortstop is. Leading the Dodgers to their first World Series title since 1988, he hit a .328/.425/.746 with eight homers, 20 RBI, 20 runs scored and a 203 wRC+ over an 18-game stretch.
Walker Buehler recently discussed how Seager excels on the game’s biggest stage, mainly pinpointing his concentrated aggressiveness that has allowed him to separate himself from many others.
Seager’s performance in the 2020 National League Championship Series was historic in Dodgers lore, as he blasted five home runs over the course of the seven game set, driving in 11 runs.
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