LOS ANGELES — 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 Los Angeles 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 before letting 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 asked Seager. “Why did the Dodgers let you go?”

Seager, who had been smiling as the reporter started talking, became visibly uncomfortable. 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.

“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 question.

The Dodgers selected Seager in the first round of the 2012 draft. Four years later he 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.

AWARDS: Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. was voted player of the year and the National League’s outstanding player by fellow major leaguers in the annual Players Choice Awards of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Los Angeles Angels designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani was voted the American League’s outstanding player.

TELEVISION: The five-game World Series was the least-watched Fall Classic in recorded TV history. Nielsen and Fox said it averaged 9.11 million viewers, less than the 9.79 million average from the 2020 series, when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in six games.

DODGERS: Third baseman Max Muncy agreed to a $24 million, two-year deal that prevented him from becoming a free agent.

WHITE SOX: Paul Janish, 41, a former major league infielder, is the new director of player development.

BREWERS: Right-hander Colin Rea, 33, stayed with Milwaukee rather than explore the free-agent market, agreeing to a one-year contract that includes a team option for 2025.

BRAVES: Atlanta brought back another key member of its bullpen, re-signing right-hander Joe Jiménez to a $26 million, three-year contract.